Run Away
by MaggieJaggie
Summary: Juliet O'Hara runs away from home as a result of her dad abusing her. How will Juliet's life be different when she is raised by a different family?
1. Chapter 1: Blood

Chapter 1

Fear. Juliet felt her dad grab her head and hit it into the corner of the counter. Juliet screamed, bursting into tears. She felt blood trickle down her cheek. "GET INTO YOUR ROOM!" her dad shouted shoving her away. Juliet ran to her room screaming as loud as she could. The neighbors will hear me, Juliet thought, screaming still. "SHUT UP!" her dad yelled to her.

Pain. This hadn't been the first time that her dad hit her. He'd hit her before but never made her bleed. The only odd part was that, as far as she knew, her dad never abused her brothers or her mom, only her. He never hit her when his mom or brothers were around, only when they left. Juliet's eyes went blurry and she couldn't see anything. The world closed in around her until everything went black.

"Jules, are you okay?" Juliet's brother, Ewan asked, shaking her awake. Juliet cringed, feeling the gash in her head.

"Hey, stop that!" Juliet pushed his hand away. Ewan apologized and smiled at her hopefully.

"I made you a bowl of chicken soup and a plate of cookies. Dad told me what happened." Ewan nodded towards the bowl and plate on her nightstand.

"He told you what happened?" Juliet's eyes widened.

"Yeah, he said you fell and hit your head on the counter." Ewan clarified.

"Nuh- uh! He-" Juliet noticed her father standing in the doorway, his eyes burning with fury. Juliet quickly shut her mouth. Ewan tilted his head but shrugged the topic away.

"Hey bud, why don't you let your sister get some rest." Juliet's dad suggested gently. Ewan nodded and left the room. Her father walked to her bedside, glancing at her cut. "If you say a single word, I will whoop your ass so hard that you won't be able to sit for weeks. Do you understand me?" he grabbed her face making her wince and whimper.

"Yes." Juliet squeaked out just above a whisper. He let go of her face with a push. Juliet reached for her soup, but he smacked her hand away.

"No eating in the room." He growled. Juliet sighed.

Although Juliet was only six, she was very inquisitive and smart. She came from a tough family, her dad's motto was "Show No Weakness". Juliet usually didn't show weakness but her dad brought that out in her.

Juliet's eyes were heavy and she let them close, quickly falling asleep.

* * *

The next day Juliet woke up in her bed to her mom changing the bandages on her head. They didn't have enough money to bring Juliet to a hospital so that made do with what they had. Maryanne shushed her and rubbed her forehead. "I'm headed to work. See you later." Juliet's mom kissed her forehead and rushed out of the room. Juliet was able to sit up now and propped herself up on a few pillows. Ewan walked into her room and greeted her.

"Are you feeling better?" he asked. Juliet shook her head. Ewan frowned, "Dad said you can get some breakfast." He said, helping her get up. Juliet felt her legs wobble and the room spun around her. Ewan walked her over to the kitchen and sat her down on the chair. Ewan made sure she was steady and fled outside to do whatever.

"Juliet, you know you'll have to get stitches, right?" Her dad asked. Juliet shook her head.

"Mom said we can't get them 'cause we don't have the money." Juliet replied, her voice was weak and raspy.

"Exactly. That's why I'll give them to you." He said nonchalantly.

Juliet's eyes widened, "But, won't that hurt?" Juliet whimpered.

"Show no weakness." Her dad retorted.

Juliet felt tears well up in her eyes as she thought about getting stitches. "Will you put me asleep?" she asked, her voice cracking.

Frank shook his head. "I'm going to give you a few of my sleeping pills." He replied, pushing a plate of pancakes to her. "Now eat; you lost a lot of blood and you need food." He ended their conversation.

After Juliet was finished eating she walked back to her bedroom and sat on her bed. Frank walked in holding a few turquoise sleeping pills. He handed them to her and told her to take all three of them. While they waited for the pills to take affect, Frank got the stitching materials ready. Juliet felt her eyes get heavy and the room around her became distorted. Frank walked in holding a needle and some sterile thread. He tied a knot at the end of the thread and pulled the string through the loop of the needle. "Show no weakness." Was all he said before pushing the needle into her already sore scalp.

Juliet's eyes immediately popped open and watered as she felt the pain of a needle piercing her skin. She wanted to scream but knew that it would make it worse. She whimpered and her lower lip quivered as she felt the needle pull through the hole in her skin. Frank reached over for the bottle of beer on the ground and took a swig of it. Juliet clenched her blanket, trying to channel the pain. It didn't help.

After a few more excruciating minutes, Juliet's head was stitched up and re-bandaged. Frank walked out of the room, leaving Juliet in her bed. She wiped the tears off of her face and turned over. The pills took affect again and Juliet fell asleep.

* * *

Juliet woke up and looked at the time. 1:20 PM. She rubbed her puffy eyes and got out of her bed. She walked towards her front door and went outside to play with her friend, Maddy. Juliet walked across the street and knocked on her neighbor's door. Maddy promptly answered the door with a smile that turned into a gasp very quickly. "Are you okay?" Maddy asked, noticing her bloody bandages. Juliet shrugged and followed Maddy inside up to her room. Maddy's room was almost exactly like Juliet's room except, Maddy had more dolls and toys. "How did you get that?" Maddy asked, brushing one of her doll's hair.

Juliet looked around and motioned for Maddy to come closer. "My dad hit my head on the counter." Juliet whispered.

Maddy covered her mouth, "On purpose?" she asked through her hand. Juliet nodded. "Your dad is a meanie." Maddy crossed her arms. Juliet agreed.

"And guess what else?" Juliet asked. "He gave me 'titches without putting me asleep." Juliet said. Maddy slapped her hand over her mouth again.

"Did it hurt?" Maddy asked. Juliet nodded vigorously. "You should run away and live with me. My daddy is nice." Maddy offered with a generous smile.

"No, 'cause my dad will find me, and then he'll hit me again." Juliet shook her head.

"Well then run really far away so he won't find you." Maddy suggested. Juliet shrugged.

"Then we won't be friends anymore." Juliet replied. Maddy shrugged and the conversation ended there. Juliet grabbed her favorite doll and a brush. She brushed its hair and thought about running away. It seemed like the only option but almost impossible. She'd have to plan it, but maybe her dad would turn nicer.

After a little bit of playing with dolls Maddy and Juliet went outside to play. They rode their bikes along their street until Juliet saw her mom's car pull up into the driveway. Juliet hopped off her bike and ran to her mom. Juliet's mom was crying on the phone. "Mommy, what's wrong?" Juliet asked. Her mom waved Juliet away and rushed inside. Juliet signaled for Maddy to follow her as they walked inside and ran into Juliet's room to listen.

They cupped their hands around their ears and listened to Juliet's mom and dad talk. "I got fired today." Juliet heard her mom say. They both gasped. There was a loud bang coming from the kitchen and then the sound of a smack. Both of Juliet's parents were yelling and screaming.

"You should go home." Juliet said frantically. This had never happened before. Maddy nodded and ran out of the room and outside. The fight continued as Juliet shut her door and curled up under her blanket, trying to tune out the noise. Her parents' bedroom door slammed shut and Juliet heard footsteps stomp towards her room. She felt herself begin to shake and the blanket was pulled off her bed. Her mom's face was red and bruised. She scooped up Juliet and rushed outside, calling for Ewan. They got into their van and Maryanne started the car, driving away from the house. Juliet looked at her mother's hurt face.

"Mom?" Juliet asked, her voice was a gentle whisper. "Did he hit you, too?" she asked. The car stopped suddenly.

"Too?" her mom asked, but she didn't need an answer. Something clicked in her mind. She looked at Juliet through her rear-view mirror, her eyes softened. Ewan looked on with confusion. Maryanne got out of her car and grabbed Juliet, hugging her tightly. "Juliet, is that how you got this?" she gently touched Juliet's bandages. Juliet nodded.

"He told me not to tell or he'd hurt me more." Juliet buried her face in her mom's shoulder, sobbing.

"It's okay. We aren't going to see daddy again. We're going to live with Grandma and Grandpa for a little bit, while I work things out." Her mom said. Juliet nodded and got back into the van.

* * *

Once they arrived at their grandparents house, Juliet ran to her grandma. She gave Juliet a gentle hug and looked at the side of her head. "What happened, Sunshine?" she asked. Juliet explained what happened and her grandmother gasped. "That calls for some of Grandma's homemade cookies." Her grandma said, trying to hide the concern in her voice. Maryanne mouthed a 'thank you' to her mom. She turned around to leave and get Juliet and Ewan some clothes to wear.

"Ooh, Grandma, can I lick the spoon?" Ewan called from the living room. Grandma responded with a 'yes' and they began making cookies.

"Grandma, dad 'titched up my head without putting me asleep. I was really brave though and I only cried a little." Juliet boasted. Her grandma nearly dropped the batter.

"He did what?" Her grandma tried not to yell often.

"He stitched her head." Ewan clarified.

Grandma grabbed Juliet's hand and got down to her level. "We are going to the hospital right now." She said sternly, but still trying to be gentle.

Juliet frowned and followed her grandma out to the car. Ewan stayed with his grandpa. "Juliet O'Hara, you should have never let your father stitch up your head." Her grandma scolded. Juliet felt tears form in her eyes.

"But I didn't want him to whoop me." Juliet sobbed, her entire body shaking; it had been a rough day.

"I'm sorry Jules. It's not your fault, but we're going to the hospital to get your wound properly stitched." Grandma said, driving a little over the speed limit to get to the hospital. Her grandma used to be a nurse before she retired so Juliet trusted her.

"Grandma, will my 'titches get infected?" Juliet asked.

"If you let your dad stitch them then they will." Grandma replied angrily.

At the hospital, Grandma brought Juliet into the emergency room. She explained to the nurse what happened and she was immediately brought to a room. A nurse gave her an IV with anesthetic in it and told Juliet to count to ten. When Juliet got to nine she felt herself fall into unconsciousness.

* * *

Juliet woke up about an hour later, her head feeling much better. Grandma was at her bedside holding a teddy bear that looked like it was hurt real bad. She was also holding Juliet's favorite candy, Jawbreakers.

"Hi, Sunshine. Does your head feel better?" she asked.

Juliet nodded, "Do I have new 'titches?" she asked.

"Yes, and now you don't have to worry about getting an infection." Her grandma assured her, gabbing her hand and kissing it. Juliet still had an IV in her arm.

"Grandma, are they putting me asleep again?" Juliet asked, looking at her IV drip.

"No, sweetie, that's to make your head feel better." Grandma replied.

Juliet was still a little bit out of it from the anesthetic. "I feel weird." Juliet said, blinking a few times. Her grandma smiled.

After about an hour the anesthetic wore off and Juliet was feeling a lot better. She was able to eat her Jawbreakers and her mom came to visit her with Ewan. Juliet's mom had more bruises on her then before.

"Mommy, did dad hit you again?" Juliet asked quietly. Maryanne smiled, Juliet was very smart.

She nodded slowly, "But, I'm okay. I got you a few new dresses and I brought some clothes from home." Maryanne changed the subject. Juliet smiled and said 'okay'.

* * *

Juliet had to stay overnight at the hospital to make sure that the stitches did not get infected. Grandma stayed with her while Maryanne and Ewan went back to Grandma's house. Juliet barely slept; she kept having nightmares about her dad coming to the hospital and hitting her again. Each time Juliet would wake up in a panic, her grandma would calm her until she would fall back to sleep.

That morning, Juliet was released from the hospital and they drove back to Grandma's house. Grandma stopped at a local shake shop and they got shakes. Juliet got a strawberry shake and her grandma got a chocolate shake. They walked into Grandma's house and Juliet was greeted by Ewan. He was playing chess with his grandpa. Juliet looked around for her mom but couldn't find her. She turned to her grandma. "Where's mom?" Juliet asked.

Ewan stood up, "She went to get the sleeping bags from dad, but she's been gone for a while." He explained. Juliet nodded and went into the kitchen where the phone was.

She dialed her mom's phone number. She knew it because she had to write it down everyday at school. It was 559- 1020. The phone rang a little bit but went to voice mail. Juliet hung the phone up and turned to her Grandma. "No answer." She mumbled. Grandma shrugged.

It was only a few minutes later that someone knocked in the door. Juliet ran to it yelling, "Mommy! Guess what?" she swung open the door to reveal two police officers.

"Hi, can we speak to an adult please?" One of them asked. Grandma rushed to the door.

"What is the problem?" she asked.

"Are you related to Maryanne O'Hara?" The police officer asked. Grandma nodded. "She crashed into a wall in her car and died on impact." The other officer broke the new harshly. Juliet looked at her grandma, who's face flushed to a solid white. Tears formed in her eyes. "Cops think it's a suicide, considering that the car was in good shape and the wall was 20 feet off the road." The officer explained.

Grandma covered her mouth and sobbed quietly. Juliet looked around confused. The officer crouched down to her level. "Your dad has requested that we bring you back home." Juliet stood up straight in fear.

"I'll go get Ewan." Juliet ran to grandpa and Ewan in the living room. "Grandpa, mom got a su'cide. She hit a wall." Juliet tried to explain what she heard. Grandpa stood from his chair and quickly shuffled to the door. Juliet turned to Ewan. "Now we have to go back to dad's house." Juliet quivered. Ewan stood up and they walked to the door. An officer brought them to a transportation vehicle and drove them home. Juliet asked the officer in the front seat what happened.

"Why don't you ask your dad." The officer quickly replied. Juliet felt fear rush back to her as she remembered what was probably waiting for her at home. She turned to Ewan.

"Can I tell you something?" Juliet asked. Ewan nodded. "Ya' know the scratch on my head? Daddy did that. He hit my head on the counter on purpose." Juliet shook. Ewan gasped and offered her a hug. "I'm really scared to go back." Juliet cried.

Ewan shook his head, "I'll make sure dad doesn't hurt you." He promised. Ewan was a great big brother and Juliet gave him a hug.

"Thank you." She said.

* * *

At the house, their dad greeted them. Ewan looked up at him. "Dad what happened to mom?" he asked once the officers left.

"Your mother took a coward's way out. She drove her car into the wall on purpose and died." He fumed. Juliet gasped, letting tears fall from her eyes. Ewan did the same and they both fell to the ground in a crying huddle. "Now you two need to stop it." Their dad scolded. He stood them up and pushed them towards their room. Juliet squealed and grabbed Ewan's arm. They walked to Ewan's room. Juliet crawled onto his bed and curled into a ball. Ewan hugged her.

"It's okay." Ewan helped her sit up. "Show No Weakness."

* * *

**Well, to whoever read this far, KUDOS! **

**I really really hope you guys enjoyed this. I put my best effort into it and I really love the way it turned out.**

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	2. Chapter 2: Free

Henry Spencer waved a ten dollar bill in his son's face. "Okay Shawn. Ten whole dollars if you can guess the amount of females in this building." Henry explained. Shawn's eyes were tightly shut and he thought for a few seconds.

"There are 17 females, unless you count the baby. It's wearing pink so that's just a guess." Young Shawn told flawlessly. Henry sighed, hoping he wold miss that one. He handed Shawn the ten dollars.

"What are you going to get with it?" Henry asked.

Shawn summoned a waiter. "Two triple chocolate sundaes, please."

"Shawn, I'm not hungry for a sundae." Henry said.

"Good, 'cause you weren't getting any!" Shawn laughed.

The waiter nodded and walked away. Henry's phone rang softly. He picked it up. "Hello?" Henry answered.

"Henry Spencer? We have a case in Miami and I thought you would like to investigate. It'll be a high profile case." The Chief Detective explained. Henry's face lit up with excitement. He held up his finger and walked outside of the restaurant.

After Henry was finished talking on the phone, he walked back inside, a smile across his face. Shawn tilted his head curiously. "Guess who's going to Miami?" Henry asked.

Shawn's eyes widened. "Really? Does that mean I get to miss school?" Shawn asked excitedly. Henry chuckled.

"No, That means that you get to stay with your mom." Henry corrected. Shawn sighed.

* * *

Juliet's grandma had brought up a case to the police and there was an inspection being held in less than an hour. Frank pulled Juliet aside. "If you say anything to them, even if you do get taken away, I will find you and slit your throat. Do you understand me completely?" Frank threatened.

Juliet cringed but nodded slowly. He stood up and left to tidy the house. There was a knock at the door and Frank promptly answered. "Hello." He greeted sweetly yet falsely.

The inspector invited himself inside and took a look around. Frank followed close behind. The inspector turned to Frank, "I'm going to speak with your children first. Then, I will continue the inspection." The man said. "I was told to start with Juliet." He said. Frank called Juliet into the living room.

"H-Hi." Juliet barely said.

"Can we talk in your bedroom?" he asked. Juliet nodded and they walked into her bedroom.

"So, Juliet, my name is Mr. Hugh. I'd like to start by asking you how you got this." He began. Juliet hesitated. "It's okay. You can tell me anything." Mr. Hugh assured her.

Juliet thought about what her dad said. "I- I fell." Juliet replied shortly.

The man wrote down the notes and looked back up at Juliet. "Does your dad ever hit you? Or say mean things that hurt your feelings?" he asked.

Juliet felt her heart race. Her dad did all of those things. "No." She lied, a lump hardening in her throat. Tears made a pool in her lower eyelid but she tried to hold them back

"What's wrong?" Mr. Hugh asked.

Juliet shook her head, "I don't want to talk anymore." She crossed her arms and turned away. The man sighed and left her room. Juliet climbed onto her bed, wishing her mom was here.

After a little bit, the social worker left and made an appointment to come back another day. Frank shut the door and walked into Juliet's room. He grabbed her and sat her up on her bed. "What did you tell him?" he fumed.

"Nothing. I didn't say anything about it. I said I fell and that's all." Juliet sobbed into her hands. Frank stood up and turned away. "I wish mom was here." Juliet mumbled. Frank spun around and looked at her furiously.

"What did you just say?" he asked. Juliet shook her head and sobbed harder. "Tell me what you said!" Frank yelled. Juliet jumped at the change in tone and backed away from him.

"I just said that I wanted mom to be here." Juliet shook. Frank grabbed her arm and stood her up. He tightened his grip, cutting off her circulation.

"Your mother was a bitch. She didn't deserve to be alive, she killed herself because she couldn't handle the world and now I'm left to deal with you." He spat at her. Juliet whimpered.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings." Juliet tried to pull away from his tightening grip. He looked at her for a second, while Juliet tried to pull away from him. "Let me go!" Juliet screamed as loud as she could. Ewan ran into the room, Frank not noticing.

Frank's eyes burned with fury, "You do not tell your father what to do!" he yelled, pulling his hand back and slapping the side of her head with stitches. Juliet screamed and cried as loud as she could. He let go of her arm and turned around to see Ewan. Ewan was stunned and he had tears streaming down his face. Frank's face flushed to a pale red. "Get in your room, Ewan."

Juliet continued to scream and cry. She slammed her door shut and locked it. Juliet ignored Frank furiously knocking on the door. She got into her bed and curled into a ball, letting tears make a pool around her. She vowed that the next time Mr. Hugh came, she would tell him the truth and then, the next day, before they got her, she would run away.

* * *

Henry Spencer packed the last few things he would need for his one week trip to Miami. Shawn was waiting at the door for Henry to bring him to his mom's house. "Dad, hurry up." Shawn groaned. Henry smiled.

"Alright, I'm ready." Henry sighed. He picked up his suitcase and rolled it outside to the car. Shawn climbed into the car while Henry threw the suitcase in the trunk. He got into his car and began driving to Maddie's house.

When they arrived, Shawn quickly got out of the car, waving to his dad. "Be good, son!" Henry called as Shawn ran inside. He pulled out of the driveway and drove to the airport.

* * *

The next day, Juliet still hadn't unlocked her bedroom door. She and Ewan had passed notes under the door while their dad slept. He passed a few almonds and candy bars under the door for her to eat. She had already finished all of the food and her dad began banging on the door again.

"Juliet, if you don't open this door, I will break it down and whoop you." Frank threatened.

Juliet slowly walked towards the door and unlocked it. She quickly ran to the other side of her room and cowered in the corner. Frank threw open the door. His face was red with anger. Frank ran to her and pushed her farther into the wall.

"HELP!" Juliet screamed. Frank kicked her legs making her fall sideways. He pulled up his foot and stomped on her chest. "Ewan help!" Juliet called through the tears in her voice.

Ewan ran into the room. "Dad, please stop!" he yelled, tears streaming down his face. Frank stopped stomping on her and turned to Ewan. Juliet quickly stood up, ignoring the sharp pain in her ribs. She ran to her bed and sat on it, screaming. Frank pushed Ewan out of the room and slammed the door behind him. Juliet screamed and screamed, hoping the neighbors would hear. She wished that she could call the police but didn't have a phone.

At least the social worker would be here tomorrow.

* * *

The plane landed in Miami and Henry walked off the plane. His Chief was waiting for him in the outside of security. Henry smiled and shook his chief's hand. "How are you, Henry? Are you ready to investigate?" The chief asked.

Henry nodded. "I'm great." He replied. They walked out to the Chief's car and drove to the Miami Police Department. They walked in and saw the Chief of that department.

"Hello, Chief Rosen." Henry's Chief greeted.

"Hello, you two." The woman replied. "I understand that you are here to investigate a case for us?" she clarified. Henry nodded. "Alright, let's get down to business."

* * *

The next day, Juliet looked around in her closet for a backpack big enough to hold anything that she needed. She found her princess backpack that she used for school and brought it out of her closet. What will I need? Juliet pondered, looking around her room. She first, thought of food and walked out to the kitchen. She grabbed granola bars, candy, fruit cups, applesauce, a loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter. Stuffing it into her bag, she quickly ran into her room looking around the room. I'll need money, so I can buy a house. Juliet thought. Her mom always told her that she had enough money in her piggy bank to buy a house, so she stuffed it into her backpack. Now she would need some clothes, she grabbed her favorite dresses and outfits and stuffed them into the last bit of room in her backpack. Finally, she shoved her backpack under her bed and walked out to the living room where Frank was waiting for the social worker to arrive.

Frank grabbed her face, "Same rules apply. Do you understand me?" Frank asked sternly. Juliet nodded slowly, trying to get away from her former dad.

At exactly 9:00 AM, there was a knock at the door. Frank answered it and was greeted by Mr. Hugh. He crouched down and greeted Juliet. "Hi there, Juliet. I brought you something." Mr. Hugh handed her a small stuffed cat. Juliet smiled and said thank you. She brought it into her room and set it on her nightstand. Mr. High walked into her room and smiled. "Are you in the mood to talk today?" he asked. Juliet nodded, trying not to look too excited.

"Okay, let me ask you again, how'd you get that?" he pointed to her head.

Juliet took a deep breath. "My dad." She breathed softly. Mr. Hugh's eyes widened. "But he told me not to say anything or else he'd hurt me, real bad." Juliet felt her heartbeat speed up.

"Does your dad always hit you?" he asked, gently.

Juliet shrugged, "Last night he stomped on my tummy." Juliet pulled up her shirt to reveal a purple bruise on her stomach. Mr. Hugh gasped quietly, writing something down on his notepad. "But, you can't tell him I told you!" Juliet whispered. Mr. Hugh made a face like he was thinking really hard.

"I'll tell you what, we tell your daddy that everything is okay, then, tomorrow at around 8:00 AM, when you see my car, you run outside. That way your daddy can't hurt you." He suggested. Juliet nodded quickly.

"Will you take Ewan with you?" Juliet asked. Mr. Hugh nodded. He stood up and gave Juliet a hug.

"I'll see you tomorrow." he said with a wink. Juliet nodded and followed him out to the living room. Frank sat on the couch. "Alright Frank, the living conditions in this house are perfect. Just tell this one to be a bit more careful." He shot a wink at her. Juliet smiled and walked into her room as the man left.

Ewan looked at Juliet. She signaled for him to follow her into her room.

"Ewan, I told Mr. Hugh. Tomorrow, when you see his car outside at 8:00 AM, you have to run outside and get in his car. That way dad won't hurt you. Okay?" Juliet explained. Ewan nodded slowly. "But, I'm not coming. I'm running away." Juliet blurted out. Ewan's eyes widened.

"Why are you doing that?" he asked.

Juliet sighed, "I don't want to live with Grandma. I want a new mommy." She said. Ewan looked at her silently.

He wanted to live with his sister. "Can I come with you?" he asked. Juliet thought for a second.

"I'm leaving now and I only got enough stuff for myself. Plus, you gotta get in the car and tell them that I ran away." Juliet explained. Ewan nodded.

"Okay, but when were grown-ups we have to meet each other and talk about what happened." Ewan said. Juliet agreed and grabbed her backpack from under the bed.

"Go distract dad." Juliet commanded. She pulled the heavy backpack over her shoulders. She looked at the stuffed cat on her nightstand. It was the only toy she'd been given in a long time. She contemplated about bringing it with her. After a few seconds, she grabbed the kitty and opened the window. Juliet stepped out of the window and began running from her house. She didn't want her dad to see her so she ran as fast as possible. Tears streamed down her face as all of the pain of before left her and stayed in the past. Her heart was broken beyond repair and only one person did that to her, but now, he was gone. That stupid motto would never be in her language again. Now, she could cry when she wanted; she was free.

* * *

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	3. Chapter 3: Rescue

Juliet ran until her lungs ached. She looked around and saw a road sign labeled NW 7th Avenue.

Juliet opened her backpack and grabbed a few granola bars. She ripped them open and ate them while she walked down the road. After about thirty minutes she felt her legs get tired and sat down for a second. She wiped the remnants of tears from her face. It was only 11:00 AM and Juliet vowed to walk for the entire day, so she stood back up and kept walking. Cars whizzed by her at high speeds, causing her to jump each time. The road around her had many local stores that she'd never seen before. Juliet's reading level was higher than everyone in her class, so she was able to read each sign and know what it meant. There were restaurants, markets, food vendors, and hotels everywhere. Juliet was a slow walker and she liked to take in everything around her.

Maryanne always told Juliet that they couldn't afford to live in Miami city, so they lived close to it, but Juliet always wanted to live there. There was a sign on the road that said Miami and all the way on the other side of the sign was the number eleven. Juliet wasn't sure what that meant but decided to walk past it and look for another one. Her legs continued to ache so Juliet went into a local restaurant. She pulled her piggy bank out of her backpack and counted up a few dollars. A hostess greeted her.

"Hi," Juliet began, "How much is a table?" Juliet was trying to sound like an adult.

The woman snorted, "Tables are free." She smiled.

"Oh, okay then. May I have a table for one?" Juliet asked, smoothing her dress down.

The woman eyed the bandages on Juliet's head but brought her to a table. She was given a menu and Juliet looked at the items on it. "How much is a plate of fries?" That's what she usually got when the whole family went out to eat.

"That'll be $3.97." The waitress said. Juliet nodded. She held out sixteen quarters to the woman.

She smirked, "You pay at the end, kid." The waitress explained. Juliet sighed.

"One plate of fries, please." Juliet said, trying to sound as polite as possible. The waitress took down her order and left. Juliet took off her shoes and massaged her feet. They ached like never before.

After a few minutes, a plate of steaming fries arrived to her table. The waitress smiled. "Enjoy." She said simply. Juliet nodded and squirted a mound of ketchup on her plate. The fries were delicious! Juliet ate handfuls of ketchup covered fries until there was none left. The waitress brought Juliet her bill and Juliet paid for her fries. "Thank you." Juliet smiled, standing up and walking out of the restaurant.

Juliet started walking again, this time, a lot slower. She was exhausted and decided to take a short nap, but she needed to hide somewhere, that way, if her dad was looking for her, he couldn't find her. There was a wooded lot across the street, so she decided to sleep in there. Juliet slowly crossed the street, making sure that the road was completely empty before crossing.

Juliet stepped into the wooded lot and found a comfy place to sleep. She used her backpack as a pillow and covered herself with a few pieces of clothing. After a little bit of keeping her eyes closed, she fell asleep.

Juliet woke to the sound of leaves rustling around her. She bolted upright and looked around. Her muscles untensed when she realized that it was only a squirrel. Juliet stood up, smoothed down her dress and exited the wooded lot. She looked around realizing that it was nighttime. Her legs were sore from walking so much. The streets around her were much more empty so she crossed them without hesitation. Juliet continued walking for another hour, resting her legs from time to time. Another sign soon appeared that said the word 'Miami' and on the other side was the number ten. Juliet stared for a second, but kept walking. She pulled her backpack off her shoulders and rummaged around for her jacket. The air had whipped up and was blowing passed her body, each time making her colder. Juliet put on her jacket and backpack and continued walking. With each step, she hoped that someone would drive by and take her home like a lost puppy. She covered her face up with her hood, losing hope as each car whizzed by. Juliet had never walked around outside in the darkness. Her legs shook with each step and her heartbeat sped up. The night sky was clear and eerie, like looking into a black hole.

Juliet was weary and felt her legs become weaker as the next sign approached. She longed for a warm bed and blanket, fresh out of the dryer. She strained her eyes to look at the sign ahead. It said "Miami" and at the other end was the number nine. She must've been getting closer to Miami. Determination filled her and she trekked on, this time at a quicker pace. Juliet ignored the burning pain in her shins and thighs, and continued until she saw the next sign with an eight. Juliet sighed and looked around for a place to sleep. There was no hiding place to sleep for as far as she could see. Another sigh escaped her lungs and she sat down on the sidewalk, resting her head on her shoulder.

The world around her became less alive and she felt herself fall back asleep.

* * *

Juliet woke up the next morning, feeling her legs ache even more than they did yesterday. She stood up and stretched, looking around. The sun had barely raised over the horizon, making the sky a pink, red color. Juliet guessed that it was around 6:30 AM. She straightened her backpack and walked down the sidewalk. After a few hours of walking, Juliet saw two more signs. One with Miami and the number seven and then the number six. Juliet looked around and saw a sign for a house that said "For Rent". Juliet walked over to the house and saw a lady standing outside of the house, waving to cars. She greeted Juliet.

"Hi, I'm Juliet." Juliet smiled, pulling her piggy bank out of her backpack. "Will this buy this house?" Juliet pushed the piggy bank in the woman's face. The woman smiled.

"I'm sorry, sweetie. This house is a lot more money than that." The woman chuckled. Juliet frowned and crossed her arms.

"Are you sure?" Juliet pleaded. The woman nodded sweetly. Juliet sighed and continued walking.

After she was out of range of the house, she pulled a few candy bars from her bag and shoved them into her mouth. As she walked, she thought, Maybe the next house will be cheaper.

* * *

Henry had just finished asking a suspect a series of questions. The suspect's alibi checked out and he was brought out of the questioning room. Henry ran his fingers through his balding hair and sighed. Something wasn't adding up. He paced the questioning room, reviewing each bit of evidence. Suddenly, something hit him. They had been avoiding one person, and that was the best friend. He had reported the murder, and no one would have suspected him. Henry opened the door and ran to the Chief's office.

"Chief, it's the victim's best friend." Henry announced, drawing a crowd around him.

The chief raised his eyebrows and nodded. "Let's bring him in for questioning."

* * *

There was now only the number two on the side of the Miami sign. Juliet almost ran to the next sign with a one on it. She was so excited to get to Miami. Juliet waited until she saw a sign that said, "Miami: Next Turn". She looked before crossing the street and walking down that road. Her heartbeat sped up with excitement as she could see a city growing closer and closer. She was finally out of her hometown and starting a new life. Juliet wondered if Ewan was okay right now. She hoped that he got to live with Grandma and Grandpa. She couldn't wait until they were grown-ups and telling each other stories about their new lives.

* * *

"Put your hands behind your back." Henry commanded, snapping handcuffs around the man's wrists. "Trey Hoult, you are under arrest for the murder of Harold Farmar." Henry said proudly. He recited the Miranda warning to the man and brought him into a transportation vehicle. Henry smiled at his accomplishment. The Chief congratulated him and held out his hand for Henry to shake. Henry did so and thanked him.

"You can take your last three days off." The chief said, giving him a pat on the back.

Once Henry had left the station, he drove back to his hotel. On his way there, he noticed a small figure with a backpack walking towards him.

* * *

Juliet walked for another hour or so, and saw a police car. She wasn't sure of what to do, but continued walking that way anyways. The police car pulled up to her and a man's face appeared in front of her. Juliet trembled a bit, but tried to remain calm.

"Hi, there. Are you lost?" The man asked. Juliet shook her head.

"I'm just walking." Juliet lied.

"What's in the backpack?" the man asked.

Juliet shrugged, "Some clothes and food, just in case I needed it." Juliet continued to lie. The man chuckled.

"To me, it looks like you ran away from home." The man smiled.

Juliet stiffened. "I didn't." She protested. The officer tilted his head.

"Do you need a ride home?" he asked.

Juliet shook her head. "I'm almost there." She said nonchalantly.

The policeman furrowed his brow, "How about you climb into the front seat and you can show me how to get back to your home?" The man suggested. Juliet sighed.

"You won't be able to find it, 'cause I don't have one." She admitted.

"Did you run away?" he asked her.

Juliet nodded, "But, I won't tell you where, 'cause I'm never, ever going back. Ever." She crossed her arms. "My dad with kill me, or hurt me real bad." Juliet continued.

"Does he always hit you?" he asked. Juliet nodded.

"That's how I got this." Juliet turned and showed him her stitches. He nodded.

"Do you live close to here?" The man asked. Juliet shook her head.

"I walked here for two days. On a road call N-W Seven Avenue." She recited.

"Well, you can't live on the streets forever." He said.

"That's why I'm gonna buy a house." Juliet smiled.

"Children can't buy houses," he chuckled. "We've got to get you to an adoption center." He said. Juliet gasped.

"No! I can't go to those!" Tears pooled in Juliet's eyes and fell down her bruised cheeks. "I want to live with a family." Juliet sobbed.

"You will, after someone adopts you, of course." He smiled.

"I don't want to wait! I want a family now!" Juliet wiped tears from her face and let more fall.

The man tried to change the subject, "What's your name?" he asked gently.

"Juliet," she sniffled.

"I'm Henry." He replied.

Juliet nodded and suddenly an idea struck her. "I could live with you!" Juliet suggested, excitement filling her voice.

Henry shook his head. "I could get in big trouble for that." Henry smiled.

Juliet shrugged, "I wouldn't tell anyone." Juliet persuaded.

Henry sighed, he saw the extreme pain and sadness in her eyes. He wished of taking her home and giving he a better home, but knew it was a classification of kidnapping. Juliet looked into his eyes, pleading for a home. She needed one and didn't want to walk anymore.

"How about this," Henry began, "You got to an adoption center and I foster you until you get adopted?" Henry suggested. Juliet sighed, but it seemed like the best option. She agreed. Henry had know idea what he was getting himself into. "But, I live all the way in Santa Barbara, California." Henry told her, "You'd have to come with me, all the way back to California." He explained. Juliet's eyes widened and she bounced around in her seat.

"California!" she chanted, obviously pleased with herself. Henry sighed, this would be a long week.

Henry drove back to his hotel and brought Juliet into his room. He searched on his laptop about adoption and foster care. Looking further into it, he found that both cost more money than he thought. He wrote down a few things and searched plane tickets back to Santa Barbara, hoping there would be one available on the same plane he was taking. There was a ticket available for a plane that would land an hour after Henry's did. Henry bought and sighed.

"Hey, uh, Juliet. I got you a plane ticket back to California, but you'll be riding alone and you'll be landing a hour after me. Is that okay?" Henry asked.

Juliet gasped and bounced up and down. "Thank you, Henry!" She smiled.

Henry closed his laptop and sighed once again.

* * *

Juliet boarded her plane and sat down next to a window. She watched the plane take off and lay her head against the window, closing her eyes. Her mind wandered off and she felt herself fall asleep.

* * *

Juliet walked off the plane, holding the straps of her backpack. She scanned the airport for Henry. He stood on the other side of glass doors waving to her. Juliet skipped towards him. He smiled. "I have someone I want you to meet." Henry explained, walking towards the exit. He brought Juliet over to his truck that was waiting there for them. A young boy stood by it, waving at Juliet.

Juliet looked up at Henry questioningly. "Juliet, this is my son, Shawn."


	4. Chapter 4: Ginger

Shawn looked across the parking at his dad. His dad had told Shawn that he had a "surprise" for him. There was a small figure walking by him. Shawn squinted his eyes and saw that the figure was wearing a dress. He walked towards them and realized that the small figure was a girl about his age. Henry smiled at him.

"Juliet, this is my son, Shawn." Henry explained. Juliet waved weakly. Shawn did the same.

"Who is she?" Shawn asked obliviously.

Henry frowned and held up his finger to Juliet. He pulled Shawn aside. "Shawn, I am, um, taking care of this girl until she finds a home. She's a run away." Henry explained.

Shawn's eyes widened. "Cool," he breathed, imagining running away for a second. He was obviously taking this better than Henry had planned.

They walked back over to Juliet who was fiddling with the buttons on her dress. Shawn smiled at her. They got into Henry's truck and he began driving back home. Shawn stared at the stitches on Juliet's head.

"How'd you get those?" he pointed to Juliet's left temple.

"Shawn," Henry warned.

"My dad pushed my head into the counter." Juliet replied as if it were nothing.

Shawn's eyes widened. "On purpose?" Shawn asked. Juliet nodded.

"That's why I ran away. Plus my mom got a su'cide." Juliet still didn't know how to say that.

Shawn understood her. He gasped softly and apologized. Henry remained quiet. Juliet fiddled with her dress as Henry pulled into their driveway. He helped Juliet out of the car. Shawn followed close behind her as they entered Henry's large house.

Juliet glanced around, "Where will I sleep?" she asked. Henry sighed and looked at her sympathetically. He shooed Shawn away, although he knew he would just listen in his room.

Henry crouched to her level, "Juliet, I need to tell you something," he sighed. Juliet looked at her savior intently. "I called an adoption center and talked with a nice lady. She said that she would take good care of you while I went through the process of adopting you." Henry tried to make it sound as fun as possible. Juliet's expression went blank.

"But- You- I can't…" Juliet felt tears well up in her eyes and soak her cheeks. She ran out of the house and sat in his driveway, shaking. Her mind making things seem way worse than they were.

Henry slowly sat down next to her. "If you want to, we can go meet this nice lady. If you don't like her, you don't have go to the adoption center." Henry negotiated.

Juliet sniffled and looked up at Henry. She nodded and wiped the tears from her eyes. Henry patted her shoulder. "I'll be back in a few minutes, alright? I'm going to go talk to Shawn." Henry explained.

Inside, Henry called Shawn to the living room. He signaled for his son to sit. "Shawn, I want to make sure that you are okay with having a temporary sister," Henry said, "Possibly permanent." Henry continued.

Shawn stared into space for a second and shrugged. "She's alright." He smiled. Henry nodded and ruffled his son's hair.

"Thanks bud." He said and stood up form the couch. "I'll be back in a bit." Henry walked outside and brought Juliet back into his truck. He drove to an adoption center called St. Francis Adoption Home. Juliet hopped out of the truck and followed Henry into the building. They were greeted by a young woman.

"Hi, is this Juliet?" the woman asked. Juliet nodded slowly. "Hi! I'm Ginger." Ginger held out her hand for Juliet to shake.

"I'm Juliet." Juliet barely whispered, shaking Ginger's hand.

"Would you like to look around? I can show you." Ginger offered. Juliet nodded and took Ginger's hand, following her around the center. Ginger turned back and winked at Henry. He sat down in a chair and waited for them to return.

Ginger walked Juliet into a large cafeteria. Tables were scattered around the room and a long lunch line of orphans stood a few feet away. "This is the cafeteria. This is where you will get breakfast, lunch, and dinner." Ginger smiled. She pointed to the line of kids. "Those kids are like you. They don't have mommies or daddies either." Ginger explained. Juliet nodded as they left the cafeteria and made their way down a long hallway. On each side of the hallway was a long line of doors. In the middle of the hallway, Ginger opened the door to reveal a bedroom with four bunk beds in it. There was another boy in the room, laying on his bunk bed.

"Hi, Harry. This is Juliet. She is going to be your new roommate." Ginger said sweetly. Harry hopped off of his bed and walked over to her. He waved hello to her.

"I'm Harold Shiner. Harry for short." Harry smiled.

"I'm Juliet O'Hara. Jules for short." She replied. Harry nodded and turned to Ginger.

"She's gonna be in here?" he asked. Ginger nodded, causing a big smile to dance across Harry's face.

"You will be on the top bunk, right here." Ginger patted the top bunk of the third bed down. Juliet nodded. Maybe this place wasn't so bad.

Ginger guided her into a playroom. Many young children sat in there, playing with overused toys and blocks. "This is the nursery. This is where the very little kids play. You'll play in that room." Ginger pointed to a door across the room. Very few people were in there. There was a pink, wooden castle in the corner that had the word The Princess Castle on it and in another corner there was a blue castle with a knight in front that held a sign. It read The Prince Layer. Juliet looked inside the Princess Castle and saw a fake kitchen set and a fake bedroom. It looked pretty fun.

Ginger led her over to another door that led them to the outdoor playground. Yet again, there was a playground for young children and older children. On the older children playground there was a set of monkey bars, two swing-sets, three slides, and a large jungle gym. Juliet smiled with excitement. She'd never been on such a fun playground.

Ginger turned to Juliet and crouched to her level. "What do ya' think?" she asked, sweeping her red hair behind her ears.

Juliet shrugged. "It looks like fun." She replied. Ginger clapped her hands and gave Juliet a big hug. It was the first hug she'd had in a wile. It felt nice. Ginger was nice.

Juliet walked with Ginger back out to the waiting room area. Henry waited there for Juliet. He stood up and looked at Juliet hopefully. Juliet nodded, "I'll stay here for a little bit." Juliet sighed. Henry smiled and gave her a short hug.

"I'll be back. I promise." Henry promised. Juliet nodded and watched Henry leave.

Ginger crouched down to her level. "Juliet, how about we go set up your room." Ginger suggested. Juliet said 'okay' and they walked down the long hallway. Ginger opened the door and looked around. No one was in the room. "Juliet do you want to talk about anything?" Ginger asked. "You can tell me anything." She continued.

Juliet shook her head. "No." She barely whispered. Ginger nodded.

"Do you want to set up your room?" she asked. Juliet pulled her backpack off of her back and unzipped it. She pulled out the stuffed cat that Mr. Hugh had given her. She set it on her new bed. It was all that she really had. Ginger smiled. Juliet took the few outfits that she'd packed and placed them on the shelf above her bunk bed. Ginger sighed.

"Alright, is that all you have?" Ginger asked. Juliet nodded. "Are you hungry?" Ginger asked. Juliet shook her head.

"I'm tired. Can I sleep?" Juliet yawned and stretched. Ginger nodded and gave her a hug.

"Let me know if you want to talk. M'kay?" Ginger walked out of the room, shutting the door behind her.

Juliet turned over and closed her eyes. She didn't fall asleep for another thirty minutes.

* * *

_Frank knocked on the door to her new room. Juliet looked at the door and skipped over to it. She pulled open the door and saw her dad. "I told you, if you told anyone, you would die." He breathed. Juliet's eyes widened. Frank pulled a gun from his belt._

_"NO!" Juliet screamed, covering her face. Frank steadied his hands and pushed on the trigger._

Juliet screamed and bolted upright in her bed. She looked around and saw Harry staring at her from the ground. Juliet wiped the tears from her cheeks.

"Are you okay?" he asked concerned.

Juliet nodded. "Can you get Ginger?" she asked. Harold nodded and left the room.

Juliet wiped the sweat from her neck. Ginger came in a few seconds later. She looked up at Juliet. "Are you alright?" she asked.

Juliet shook her head, feeling more tears fall down her cheeks. "Can we talk now?" Juliet asked.

Ginger nodded and signaled for her to come off of the bunk bed. "What is it?" Ginger asked.

"I had a bad dream about my dad." Juliet sniffled. "He said he was gonna kill me." Juliet wiped her nose on her sleeve.

"Why would your daddy do that?" she asked with a chuckle.

"Cause, he's a very bad guy. My mommy said so." Juliet sniffled, taking a deep breath.

Ginger thought for a second. "Was your mommy nice?" She tried to change the subject.

"Yeah, but she got a su'cide cause daddy hit her too." Juliet shook a little bit at the thought of her mom killing herself.

Ginger's eyes widened. "I'm sorry." was all she could say. They sat in silence for a second. "Are you feeling better now?" Ginger asked. Juliet nodded and sighed.

"Can I go eat?" Juliet asked. Ginger nodded and walked Juliet to the cafeteria. Juliet walked into a lunch line where they were serving spaghetti. She grabbed an apple and a bowl of spaghetti. She sat down at a table and picked at her gooey spaghetti. Her mind wandered around as Ginger stared at her. The apple the Juliet had taken was mushy and the spaghetti was soggy. "I'm not really hungry anymore." Juliet rested her head in her hands. She longed for the day that Henry adopted her and took her home. She wanted a dad and a new, friendly brother. Ginger sat in front of her.

"What'cha thinking about?" Ginger asked.

"I just want a mom and a dad." Juliet sighed. "I miss my brother, too." She admitted.

Ginger tilted her head, "Where is your brother?" she asked.

"A social worker took him to an adoption center while I ran away." Juliet explained. Ginger nodded.

"Where did you run away from?"

"North Miami." Juliet replied.

"What's your brother's name?" Ginger questioned.

"Ewan." Juliet replied, confused.

"Ewan O'Hara?" Ginger asked. Juliet nodded. Ginger stood up and told Juliet to stay there. She walked towards the front desk. Juliet waited patiently for Ginger to come back.

Ginger sat back down at the table. "Your brother, Ewan, was here for two days when one of our caretakers decided to adopt him. He is now living with Georgia, our nurse." Ginger smiled. Juliet's eyes widened.

"Wow, he has a new mom now?" Juliet asked, a hint of jealousy in her voice. Ginger nodded.

"It's okay though. If Henry doesn't adopt you, then I will. Okay?" Ginger promised. Juliet smiled at the kind act.

"Okay."

* * *

**SOOOO? How'd do you guys like it?**

**I have school off on this Monday and Tuesday so I will definitely have another chapter up by Wednesday. **

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	5. Chapter 5: A New Life

Two years passed and there was still no sign of Henry. The only person that occasionally came by was Shawn. He only came by in during Juliet's first year of being at the adoption center. Then, he stopped. Juliet and Shawn did go to the same school but he was in 4th grade and Juliet was in 3rd. Ginger was trying to adopt Juliet and was only a few months away from adopting her.

Juliet went to a school called St. Francis Elementary School. Her teacher was very nice and always gave Juliet candy. The school year had just started and Juliet had a friend named Ellie. She was the only person that knew that Juliet didn't have parents. Ellie often came over to the adoption center and hung out on the playground with Juliet.

One day, in early October, Ginger approached Juliet on the playground. Her expression was hard to avoid. "Juliet!" She called to her, her voice full of joy.

"What?" Juliet hopped off of the swing that she was on and ran to Ginger. Ginger sat down on a bench and patted her lap, signaling for Juliet to sit on her lap.

"You wouldn't mind if I gave you an early birthday gift, would you?" Ginger asked, trying to contain her excitement. Juliet's birthday was next week and she'd been looking forward to it for a while.

Juliet shook her head, "What is it?" she asked, smiling.

"Okay, so, by this time next year, you will be settled into a new home with me!" Ginger announced. Juliet gasped.

"Really?" she asked, feeling excitement course through her veins. Ginger nodded. "You're gonna adopt me?" Juliet felt tears of joy fill her eyes. Ginger nodded.

"I planned it. On your birthday, we will go down to that courthouse and adopt you!" Ginger explained, getting choked up herself. Juliet hugged Ginger tightly, letting tears fall onto Ginger's shoulder.

"This is gonna be the best birthday ever." Juliet smiled.

* * *

Juliet woke to Ginger shaking her. Her eyes slowly opened then widened when she realized what today was. "Happy Birthday nine-year-old!" Ginger whispered, being sure not to wake anyone else. Juliet smiled and pushed the covers off of herself. "I got you a special outfit to wear to the courthouse." Ginger was practically bouncing up and down. She held out her arms and helped Juliet off of the top bunk. They walked over to Juliet's dresser that she shared with Harold. There was a pink silk dress with a white bow in the middle. Juliet gasped.

"Wow." She whispered, grabbing it and holding it up against her.

Ginger smiled, "You like it?" she asked. Juliet nodded vigorously. "Alright, you can change in the bathroom, then meet me at the front desk." Ginger directed, leaving the room.

Juliet pulled off her night gown and slipped the pink dress over herself. She looked at herself in the mirror. Her eyes were no longer dark and depressing, her bruises had disappeared, and the only thing that was left was her scar. She cover it with a lock of hair. Today would be the last day that she was and orphan.

Juliet strode out of the bathroom and walked over to the front desk. Ginger awaited her holding a present. It was wrapped in red wrapping paper with a silver bow on the top. "Happy Birthday!" Ginger handed her the gift. "This is your first present, with many more to come." Ginger nodded towards the present. "Go ahead, open it." She smiled.

Juliet tore open the paper and opened the box. Inside was a picture frame, laying on top of a teddy bear. The bear was blue and the frame was a bright white with "Juliet" engraved into it and the word "Family" painted all around it. Juliet thanked Ginger, giving her a hug.

Ginger grabbed Juliet's hand and crouched to her level. "Juliet, I got you that teddy bear for a very specific reason." Ginger started, "When I first met you, you had this tiny kitty cat stuffed animal and it was the only thing you brought with you. You seemed so attached to it, and I wanted you to have the same connection with this as you did with the cat, except this came from me. Does that make sense?" Ginger asked. Juliet nodded. "I got you that picture frame because, today I want to take a picture of us together when I am officially your mommy." Ginger explained. Juliet nodded again and placed the gifts back in their box.

"Alright," Ginger stood up, "Let's go get some special 'birthday breakfast'!" she grabbed Juliet's hand and walked her out of the adoption center. They got into Gingers car (which smelt like Christmas to Juliet) and drove to a Bob Evan's. Ginger walked Juliet in and told her that she could get what ever she wanted. Juliet sat at a table and ordered a plate of pancakes, eggs, hash browns, and a biscuit. Ginger giggled at Juliet and ordered a plate of blueberry pancakes. They colored on the kids menu while they waited for their orders to arrive.

"Ginger?" Juliet asked, breaking the silence around them.

"Yes, Juliet?" Ginger asked.

"Will you ever hurt me?" Juliet inquired. Ginger seemed taken aback by the question.

"Juliet, I would never have a thought in my mind to." Ginger assured Juliet. Juliet nodded as a waiter brought their food to them.

* * *

Juliet ate her entire meal, as it was the first restaurant food she'd had since she was six. They left a tip and walked back out to the parking lot. Ginger crouched to her level.

"Alright," she looked at her watch, "We go to the courthouse at ten, and it's nine thirty so let's go become a family!" Ginger smiled, giving Juliet a tight hug. Juliet's heart filled with joy as they climbed back into the car and drove to the courthouse. Ginger parked in a parking spot and got out of the car, waiting for Juliet on the other side of the car. They walked inside and went into the courtroom assigned to them. A judge and witness waited for them in the front of the room.

"Is this Juliet O'Hara and Ginger Clark?" the judge asked. They both nodded in unison. Ginger squeezed Juliet's hand.

Juliet stared ahead at the judge who looked down at the papers in front of him. "Alright." The judge sighed.

They went through the normal rituals of the adoption and then they moved onto the vows that each of them had prepared. Juliet hadn't prepared any, but Ginger had an entire speech written out. She turned to Juliet and grabbed one of her hands.

"Juliet, I take you to be my new daughter and the beginning of my family. I promise to love you like my own and never, ever treat you like your dad did. I promise to protect you and provide you with food, shelter and clothing." Ginger's voice was choked with tears. "This adventure might get bumpy but, I promise that those will be bandaged with the laughs and fun times that we will have together. I promise to be there for you when you need me and I promise to hug you and kiss you whenever you're feeling down." Ginger wiped the tears from her face. "Most of all, I promise to love you." She concluded. Juliet smiled and wrapped her arms around Ginger.

The judge had Ginger and Juliet sign the adoption papers and then the judge signed them, signaling that the adoption was final. Ginger squealed and spun Juliet around in her arms. Juliet giggled.

"Thank you ma'am." Ginger thanked the judge.

* * *

Juliet scooped out a spoonful of ice cream from her sundae. She and Ginger sat on the side of a fountain eating their treats. "Ginger, can I call you mom?" Juliet blurted out.

"Of course you can, but you don' have to." Ginger replied.

Juliet nodded thoughtfully. "Will I be Juliet Clark now?" Juliet asked.

Ginger smiled, "Juliet, you can stay Juliet O'Hara if you want to." She explained. Juliet nodded again. A silence engulfed them. "Do you want your next gift?" Ginger suggested. Juliet nodded and watched Ginger walk over to her car. She brought out a small box and walked back over to Juliet. Ginger placed the small box in Juliet's hand.

Juliet pulled the top off of the box to reveal a thin silver chain with a flat heart on it. There was an engraving on the heart that read, For Juliet: The strongest and kindest little girl I've ever met. Juliet looked up at Ginger and smiled. "Thank you." She said. Ginger smiled back.

"Alright." Ginger clapped her hands together and stood up. "How about we go look at present number three?" she suggested. Juliet's eyes lit up and she nodded vigorously.

Ginger and Juliet got back into their car and drove back to Ginger's house. Juliet looked around, confused, but followed Ginger inside. Ginger led Juliet to a door that was closed. "This is where your room will be." She explained. Ginger twisted the doorknob to reveal a completely decorated bedroom. A bed was pushed against the window with a few stuffed animals on the bed. There was a white desk on the other side of the room with a few empty picture frames on it. On the ground was a round rug with polka dots on it. Juliet gasped and covered her mouth. She looked up at Ginger. "Wow!" Juliet ran to her bed and sat down. She looked at the stuffed animals and wrapped her arms around all of them. "This is wonderful!" Juliet exclaimed. Ginger watched her frolic around the decorated room, a smile erupting on her face. Juliet crashed into Ginger for a hug.

"This is amazing! I love it!" Juliet thanked.

"You deserve it." Ginger replied, hugging her tightly.

In that very moment, Juliet felt all of the pain of before disappear into the air and the only thing that mattered was the fact that she was Ginger, her new mom's, arms. Her old life was over.

Or was it?

* * *

**_Alright guys, the long awaited Chapter 5! What do you think? Let me know with a review!_**

**_I just wanna let you know that it gets kinda dark soon but please keep reading._**

**_I miiiight have a new chapter up by the end of tomorrow but knowing my luck..._**

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	6. Chapter 6: Abuse

Juliet's luck eventually ran out. One night, while Juliet was sleeping she heard a rustling in the opposite corner of her room. Her eyes opened slowly and looked around. Nothing was around her and she came to the conclusion that she imagined the noise. Juliet nodded off.

A cold wire touched her neck and her eyes popped open. Before she could even scream and cloth was smacked against he nose and mouth. The smell of antiseptic and cookies filled her airways. Her body went limp,

Juliet woke up in a familiar setting. Her bedroom from when she was living with Frank. Juliet looked around hoping she was in some sort of a realistic dream. A hot pain surged through her neck. Juliet was afraid to speak. The familiar sound of pounding footsteps became louder and louder until a familiar face hovered above Juliet.

Words cannot explain the amount of fright that Juliet felt at that moment. "Thought you could run off on me, huh?" he clenched and unclenched his fists. Juliet didn't say a word. "Thought I wouldn't find you, eh?" his breath smelled strongly of cigarettes. Juliet tried to sink into her bed. "Well, remember that promise I made you concerning a certain secret being told to a certain person?" his eyes were filled with fury. "I said I would kill you, but first, your gonna suffer. And it's gonna be hell." He spat at her. An empty bottle from who-knows-when lay on Juliet's nightstand. Frank picked it up and smashed it over Juliet's face. Juliet screamed and scrambled out of her bed. She backed against the wall, feeling glass cut her eye each time she blinked. Frank surged over to her, his arms in front of him. He grabbed hold of Juliet's neck and pushed his thumb against Juliet's windpipe. Juliet tried to pry his fingers off of her throat but had no luck.

"You son of a bitch!" he kicked her balance out from under her and lifted her off the ground by her throat. Frank threw her onto the bed and let go of her throat. Juliet gasped for air. "You will not do a single thing unless I tell you. Do you understand me?" he asked. Juliet nodded, tears streaming down her face. Blood rolled down her face and onto her clothing. He walked out of the room and Juliet sunk back into her bed hoping it was over.

Frank walked back in moments later holding a wad of toilet paper. He threw it at her and said, "Get some rest, you'll need it for tomorrow." A smirk played at his lips. Juliet wiped the blood from her face and sobbed into the toilet paper. She pulled the blanket over her face and sobbed. Her entire body shook, making the bed move. Eventually, Juliet fell asleep again.

Juliet woke up to the disappointment of not seeing her room that Ginger had made for her only a few months ago. Instead she saw his face. The same one that had beat her last night. He stared at her intently. "You don't deserve to be alive." He blurted out. "You are a selfish, good-for-nothing child; I regret having you." That stung. Frank pulled the covers from her. He grabbed her arm and pulled her out of her bed, dragging her out of the room, mumbling something about not deserving to be clean. Frank pulled Juliet into the bathroom and they were immediately greeted by the presence of steam. Frank pulled back the curtain to the bathtub and pushed her over to the bath. "Get in." He commanded. Juliet's legs wobbled underneath herself. She couldn't move. Frank shook her arm.

"GET IN!" he roared. Juliet jumped and began moving to put her foot into the water. "Not like that dumb-ass! Get undressed." He jerked her back. Juliet whimpered but followed his command. She placed one foot in the water but pulled it out quickly.

"It's too hot." She sobbed, covering her face. Frank slapped her on her cheek and lifted her into the water. Hot, blistering pain erupted in her legs and feet. She felt blisters form on them as Frank pushed her farther down into the water.

"The faster you clean up, the faster you can get out." He threw a bar of hairy soap at her and left the bathroom. Juliet screamed and tried to make the burning pain go away. She scrubbed herself with soap, ignoring the stinging sensation in her wounds from the night before. Quickly, she rinsed off and hopped out of the bathtub. Just to be safe, she drained the water and sat on the toilet, bare. She looked at her swollen, red body and sobbed harder. Frank heard her and swung the door open. He grabbed her by her arm and pushed her into her room slamming the door shut. Juliet ran to her bed and covered herself up, hiding the painful blisters on her body. She screamed and cried until no more tears would fall and all that was left was the sound of her occasionally sniffling in. Frank burst through the door and Juliet pretended to be asleep. Frank slapped her blistered face in order to wake her up.

"You think that you can just run away, don't ya'?" he spat at her. Juliet whimpered but didn't answer. "Answer me!" he screamed.

Juliet squealed and retorted, "I had to run away!"

Frank snorted, "You wuss. You can't handle a tiny scratch on your head." He cackled at himself.

"It was huge and you almost killed me." Juliet yelled. She wanted to slug him multiple times in the face. Frank's laugh came to an abrupt stop and his eyes narrowed on Juliet's face.

"Don't you dare talk back to me!" he held his hand up as a warning. Juliet squirmed in her bed, feeling the cloth scratch against her numerous blisters.

"You think that you can just replace me with some bitch, eh?" he continued chuckling to himself. Frank moved his face to where it was inches from Juliet. "Well you were wrong." His breath making a cloud around her face and making her cough. Frank stood up and walked out of the room, leaving Juliet in complete fear.

* * *

The next morning, Frank yelled Juliet's name from inside the kitchen. "What?" Juliet called back.

"Get out of bed!" he roared so loud that it felt like the house shook.

Juliet whimpered, knowing she was wearing nothing. She looked in her closet to see if there was anything in there. Surprisingly, all of her clothes were still there. She grabbed the largest shirt she could find and a skirt and pulled the over herself. It hurt to move. Juliet slowly walked out to the kitchen to see her former father making a big breakfast.

He shoved a plate at her. "This will be your last good meal." He informed her. Juliet made no response and slowly took her first bite of the scrambled eggs on her plate. She savored the taste of each bite until Frank commanded for her to hurry up. She gobbled the rest down and sat quietly waiting for what would happen next.

"Why are you wearing your old clothes?" he asked angrily. Juliet felt tears in her eyes.

"I- I didn't have anything else to wear." Juliet muttered.

Frank sighed and said nothing else. Juliet didn't dare ask to leave, she just waited quietly for Frank to say something. Juliet looked at her arms and popped the blisters on them. Pus and goo oozed from them and rolled down her arm.

A few minutes later, Frank told her to wait in her room. She did as she was told. Frank walked in a few minutes later. He was holding a freshly opened bottle of beer. He took a large swig of it, swished it around in his mouth and then spit it out. The beer splattered on the floor leaving a puddle by Juliet's bed. Juliet stared at it disgustedly.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get your floor dirty." He apologized sarcastically. He took another swig, swished it around and spit at Juliet. She flinched as the warm beer fell on her, stinging all over. Juliet screamed and used her blanket to scrub it off.

"What the heck!" Juliet screamed, jumping out of her bed and running to the other side of the room. "You're crazy!" Juliet screamed, tears falling from her face. Frank ran to her and punched her in the stomach. Juliet doubled over in pain. He smashed the beer bottle over Juliet's back, soaking her with beer.

He grabbed her face and looked her straight in the eyes. "You ain't seen nothin' yet, bitch." Frank punched her once more in the gut and stormed out of the room. Juliet sobbed quietly and pulled off her smelly shirt. She replaced it with a new one and did the same with her skirt. Juliet's body was still sticky from the beer on her skin. She waited for Frank to come back, hoping that he would just put her out of her misery.

No one will miss me. Juliet told herself. Ginger will adopt someone else. She continued. Her thoughts were interrupted by Frank storming in again. This time her held a mop and bucket.

"Go clean the kitchen. I want it spotless." He shoved the supplies at her and Juliet shuffled to the kitchen. She filled the bucket with warm water and dipped the mop in it. Juliet cleaned the floor and then moved onto the counters. She scrubbed until her knuckles ached. Frank came back into the kitchen and looked around. He sniffed the air and looked at her. "You smell like beer." He scolded. Juliet felt like saying, "Well, duh." But decided against it.

Frank walked into the bathroom and ran a bath. Juliet prayed that it wasn't going to burn her this time. He pulled her into the bathroom and Juliet immediately knew that the water was scorching hot again. She frowned and looked at Frank. She was not getting in there again. Juliet stood there staring at Frank. "Get in." He urged her. Juliet said nothing. She crossed her arms. I'll fight until the water cools down. Juliet thought. Frank's face turned red with anger. "Get in!" he yelled. Juliet barely flinched. He slapped her face and Juliet grabbed her cheek and screamed. It'll be hard for him to undress me. Juliet felt like laughing but, her pain was stronger.

"I'm not getting in." Juliet replied, a bit of uncertainty in her voice.

"Yes, you are. Now. Get. In." He commanded. Juliet shook her head. Frank grabbed her hair and slammed her head against the kitchen sink. Juliet would not crack. Anything was better than blistering water. Frank slugged her in her stomach and threw her against the wall. "I can kill you, right now." Frank breathed.

"Do it." Juliet placed her hands on her hips. She ignored the goose egg forming on her skull and the throbbing pain in her stomach. Frank stared blankly. "I know you won't kill me. You need me. You use me to let out your anger. You won't ever kill me." Juliet's legs shook, she had never stood up to her dad before. A smile of victory formed on her face. Frank smacked her cheek again making it disappear.

"Get in." He replied in a calmer tone.

"M-Make it colder." Juliet commanded back at him. Frank stood there for a second and instead of turning the water on, he picked her up and threw her into the bathtub. The water was not as hot as before, but it still burned Juliet's skin.

"You're gonna stay in there until the water is cold. I don't want to smell any beer on you." He commanded, slamming the door shut. Juliet still felt a small sense of victory. She made him realize that he needed her and she was right.

Juliet felt more blisters form on her skin and others popped and the water stung inside them. She cried until Frank yelled for her to shut up. Then she cried quietly.

* * *

Frank walked back into the bathroom and told her to get out. "Hopefully you're clean because that's the last bath that you'll be getting." He explained. Juliet sighed a sigh of relief. He directed her to her bedroom and told her to get dressed. Inside her room, Juliet felt like dancing. She wouldn't have to endure another boiling bath again! Juliet quickly put on her clothes and walked out of her room, feeling like she could face anything right now. There was nothing as bad as a boiling bath.

Yet again, Juliet was wrong. Frank had something else planned for her. He shoved an ashtray in her face. "I can't throw these away." He lied, Juliet had seen him dump them in the trash can over a hundred times. Juliet stared at them, unsure what Frank meant. "I want you to eat them." He commanded. Juliet gasped softly. Three cigarette butts lay in the ashtray, surrounded by a pile of ashes. Juliet gulped. Frank picked on up and handed them to her.

"Eat it, or I'll shove it down your throat." He commanded. Juliet held one in her hand and slowly placed it on her tongue. The taste was retched. Juliet gagged but managed to chew the butt up and swallow it. She felt the cigarette slid down her throat and land like a bomb in her stomach. Frank handed her the next one. She swallowed it whole and did the same with the third one. Frank poured some water in the ashtray. "Now drink it." He commanded. Juliet stared at the black, ashy water. She lifted the ashtray to her lips and swallowed a gulp of the foul water. Her stomach lurched and she threw up the water and a cigarette butt.

"Now, look at the mess you've made." He fumed. Juliet crouched behind the counter, letting only her eyes peek out above it.

"I can't each ashes. It's not good for me." Juliet whispered.

"Well, neither is running away!" he screamed. "Now you're going to eat that again and you are not going to throw them up. Do you understand?" he asked. Juliet nodded.

She picked up a slimy cigarette and swallowed it again. She cleaned up the water on the counter and turned to her dad. "I'm finished." She whispered, feeling her stomach slosh around angrily. Frank shooed her into her room. Juliet grabbed her pencil bin and heaved up her grotesque punishment into it. She hid the pin under her bed and sobbed into her blanket that now smelled like beer. She wanted to die, she wanted to live in heaven with all the other dead children. Her entire body ached, even her insides were hurting. She hated Frank.

She was no longer free.

* * *

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	7. Chapter 7: Found

Ginger patiently awaited the arrival of Henry. She called him and told him that Juliet was missing. Henry knocked on the door and Ginger immediately opened it. "Henry!" Ginger cried. "Where did Juliet run away from?" she sobbed.

"She ran away from her home in North Miami." He retorted.

"Do you know their phone number?" Ginger asked.

"They just called me a few days ago. It's 555-7732. Extension 512." Henry said. Ginger quickly typed the number into her phone and waited for someone to pick up.

"Miami Police Department." Someone answered.

"Hi, I need to report a missing child. I think she was kidnapped and brought to North Miami." Ginger was frantic.

"Okay, do you know the exact address?" The woman asked.

"Do you know her address?" Ginger whispered.

"It's on 109th Street." He told. Ginger repeated the information to the operator and they had a police unit search the neighborhood.

"The man we are looking for is Frank O'Hara." Ginger told. They hung up and waited for a call back.

* * *

It was a day later and Juliet had a terrible stomach ache. She woke up to Frank standing over her. Juliet jumped and sat up in her bed. Her stomach growled, as she hadn't eaten in two days. "Get up. I have something for you." He smiled mischievously. Juliet felt her stomach churn. She got out of her bed and followed Frank into the living room. In the middle of the living room was a glass box. Juliet wondered how he got it and what he would do with it. He told Juliet to get into the glass box. Juliet shook and got into the box. He placed a top on the glass case and dropped five lit cigarettes in the box.

"You don't deserve fresh air." He screamed.

Juliet was choked by the fumes of smoke and tried to hold her breath, but each time she would gasp for air, her lungs became weaker. The air choked her and made her eyes water. "HELP!" Juliet screamed with the last ounce of strength that she had left. Her head spun around her and she fell into unconsciousness.

* * *

Juliet woke up in her bed. Her eyes were bloodshot and hurt to blink. Her lungs aches each time she breathed. She stood up and walked into the living room where Frank was sitting. Juliet had come to a decision. "I want you to just kill me." Juliet cried. Frank turned his head.

"I never told you to get out of bed." He acted like he hadn't heard Juliet's last remark.

'I don't care. I hate you. I want you to kill me." Juliet sobbed and shook.

"Get back in your bed." He commanded.

"If you don't kill me, I'll kill myself." Juliet explained. "I'll be like mom." Juliet cried. Frank stood up and looked outside through his curtain.

"Get in your room now!" he grabbed her neck and steered her into her room. "Get under the bed and don't come out or I will torture you even more." He threatened. Juliet obligated and hid under the bed. There was a knock at the door and Frank answered it.

"Miami PD. We need to search your house. We have a warrant." The police officer recited. There was two of them from what Juliet could hear.

"What are you here for?" Frank asked innocently.

"Ginger Clark reported her newly adopted daughter missing. She suspects you." The officer explained. Frank let the officer in and their footsteps walked around the house. Juliet shook and hid herself behind a few large stuffed animals.

The police walked into Juliet's room. "Who is using her bed?" the officer asked.

"Sometimes I decide to sleep there at night because of my back." Frank lied.

The police officer crouched down and looked under the bed. Juliet could see him but her couldn't see her. She moved the stuffed animal and looked him in the eye. She mouthed the words "Help Me." The officer grabbed her hand and pulled her out from under the bed and held her. The other officer came in and cuffed Frank.

Juliet cried on the man's shoulder. He shushed her telling her that everything was okay and she was going back home. He blistered body shook with relief. She had made it. She was saved.

* * *

The police drove Juliet to a hospital where her wounds were treated and she was given medicine for a stomach infection. Another policewoman stayed with Juliet until Ginger was able to fly to Miami. She comforted Juliet and brought Juliet food and gifts. Juliet felt broken. She didn't want anything. She hated her life. She hated the fact that her dad was abusive. She hated having to get adopted. She hated everything at that moment. Her once blue eyes were now a light gray. She had dark circles under her eyes, bruises on each cheek, her hair was matted and falling out from stress. Her blisters were crusted and she felt like a nuisance. Like, she was just there, like no really loved her. Her eyes watered and drained on her face.

Ginger came into the hospital a day later and gave her a hug. "Juliet," she sobbed. "I am so sorry. This is all my fault. I left the front door unlocked. I should've known." Ginger rambled, looking at Juliet's physical state. "I am so sorry." She sobbed. Juliet hugged her back.

"It's okay. I'm fine." She assured Ginger in a, now, monotone voice.

"Juliet, I am so, so, so, so, sorry." Ginger kissed her forehead.

"Ginger, can I be alone for a little bit?" Juliet asked. Ginger nodded and left the hospital room.

Juliet pulled her hospital blanket over her face and cried harder than she ever had before. She fell into a panic attack and began hyperventilating. She had survived things that she shouldn't have. She should've died. Things would be better if she were gone. Juliet hated herself. She hated everything. Juliet cried harder and harder, letting out all of her pain. Nothing could repair her forever broken soul.

Ginger watched through the window. She couldn't stand to see Juliet like this. Ginger burst through the door. She sat in a chair next to the bed. "Juliet, you can tell me anything." Ginger explained. Juliet continued to lie under her blanket and cry. "Juliet, can we please talk?" Ginger asked.

Juliet pulled the covers off of her face. "What?" Juliet asked. She wiped a few tears from her face and wiped her nose on her sleeve.

"Juliet, I know this will be hard to talk about, but I need to know what happened. I want to help you." Ginger begged.

"Ginger, I can't." Juliet sobbed. "I don't want to talk about it." Juliet sniffled.

"Can you just tell me how he took you?" Ginger pushed.

"He came into my room and put a wire around my neck. Then he put a rag over my face and I don't remember anything after that." Juliet was short with her answer. Ginger covered her face and sobbed. "When will I go home?" Juliet changed the subject.

"The doctor said that you can go home once your blisters are gone. So about a week." Ginger informed. Juliet groaned. She turned over and looked out of the window in her hospital room.

"Do you need anything?" Ginger asked.

"My blisters to heal quickly." Juliet retorted. Ginger smiled.

"Are you hungry?" Ginger asked.

"I'm too sick to eat anything." Juliet replied.

The room went silent as they both stared out of the window. Ginger stood up and shuffled out of the room.

* * *

About a week later, Juliet was released from the hospital. Ginger booked a flight for a day from then. They stayed at a hotel in Miami. Juliet was still locked gate and wouldn't talk a single syllable about the incident. Ginger had pried at her a few times with no luck. They seemed to have grown apart and the longer that Juliet kept her secret inside, the farther apart they became. Juliet spent a lot of time in their hotel room. The next day, before they left for the airport, Juliet broke down and cried. It was the second time that this had happened and Ginger was terribly worried. She held Juliet in her arms until her sobs turned into soft sniffles.

"First, he smashed a beer bottle over my head." Juliet blurted out. Ginger said nothing. "He choked me and threw me on my bed. Then a little bit later, he gave me a boiling hot bath. That's how I got my blisters." Juliet shook. "He hit me so many times, he starved me. He spit beer on me." Juliet cried. "He made me eat cigarette butts and drink ashes. He gave me another hot bath, but I fought back. He grabbed my hair and slammed me into the sink." Juliet sobbed harder. Ginger wiped Juliet's eyes.

"Juliet, no one deserves that." Ginger began.

"He put me in a glass box with smoke in it and kept me in there until I passed out. I told his to kill me or I would kill myself." Juliet felt like screaming.

"Juliet, I am so sorry. I wish I could take all of the pain away." Ginger ran her fingers through Juliet's matted hair. "C'mon, let's go." Ginger said, picking Juliet up in her arms. They walked over to Ginger's rental car and drove to the airport.

* * *

They landed in Santa Barbara late that night and drove back home. "Ginger?" Juliet asked.

"Yes, Juliet?" she replied.

"Can I sleep with you tonight?" Juliet asked.

"Of course you can." Ginger replied with a smile.

Although Juliet felt safer in Ginger's arms, she didn't sleep at all that. Her mind wandered around wondering if her dad would be arrested, wondering what day it was, wondering where Ewan was, wondering if school started soon. Too many thoughts crammed into her head, leaving her wide awake and uncomfortable.

Juliet sat up in Ginger's bed and shook her adoptive mother awake. Ginger's eyes popped open and looked up at the ceiling. "Ginger?" Juliet whispered.

"Yes?" she replied wearily.

"What day is today?" she asked.

"August 27th." Ginger replied.

"When does school start?" Juliet asked.

"In two weeks."

"Will I go?"

"You'll have to go." Ginger replied seriously.

"Can I be home schooled?" Juliet questioned.

"I have to work." Ginger sighed. "Listen, Jules," Ginger sat up. "I know this is really hard for you right now, and I wish I could help in some way, but you have to go to school." She explained.

Juliet said 'okay' and flopped back onto her back. "Did they arrest my dad?" Juliet asked after a long silence.

"Yes, of course they did. He won't be able to hurt you again." Ginger assured. Juliet sighed, feeling closure, and tried to fall asleep with no luck. More questions replaced her old ones. Her head ached and throbbed as if her thoughts were banging on her skull.

Ginger held Juliet's hand, transferring her gentle warmth through Juliet's body. At that moment, Juliet felt safe. Everything that happened before seemed to brush off her shoulders. She closed her eyes and let sleep take over her body.

* * *

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	8. Chapter 8: School

Two weeks later, school started. Juliet had her hair done up by Ginger and Ginger bought a Juliet a new backpack with a pretty design on it. She kissed Juliet's forehead before Juliet headed to her new fifth grade classroom. She was greeted by her teacher, Mrs. Landers. "Hi, you must be Juliet!" she smiled. "We've heard lots about you, in particular!" Mrs. Landers explained. Juliet didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Juliet smiled back anyways. "Come in, come meet your classmates." She invited. Juliet strode inside, looking around at all the new faces.

Juliet located her freshly cleaned desk and set her book-bag down. She walked over to a group of girls and introduced herself. "Hi, I'm Juliet." She smiled sweetly. The girls turned to her and smiled. One girl stepped forward.

"I'm Katie. This is Jude, Lucy, and Maryanne." Katie pointed to each girl. Juliet cringed a little but at the name "Maryanne". She waved shyly at them and turned around looking at everyone else. A familiar face came into her view.

"Shawn?" Juliet asked.

Shawn smiled around and waved at her. "Hi Juliet!" he greeted. Juliet walked over to him.

"You're in this class?" Juliet asked.

"Crazy, right? I can't believe we're in the same class." Shawn said, eying her temple. "Your gash is healed up." He noticed. Juliet nodded. Before Juliet could say anything else, they were directed to take their seats. Juliet sat down and stared ahead at her teacher.

"Alright class, I'd like to start out by introducing myself. I am Mrs. Landers." She placed a hand on her chest. The class greeted her in unison. "Now, I'd like to go around the classroom and have everyone say their name and a few interesting facts about themselves." Mrs. Landers directed.

Katie started first. "I'm Katie Longhorn. My parents are divorced, my favorite color is red, and I have a hamster." She smiled at everyone and sat down.

Then Lucy. "I'm Lucy Jade. I like playing outside and I am in a dance class." She introduced herself.

A few more people went and it was Juliet's turn. "Hi, I'm Juliet O'Hara. I am adopted. I like the color green, and I already know how to divide by twelves." Juliet smiled proudly and sat down.

Shawn went a few people later. "Hello, I'm Shawn Spencer. I like the color blue, pineapples are awesome," Shawn made a face like he was thinking really hard. "And, the only person I know in this class is Juliet." He shrugged and sat down.

Jude went next. "My name is Jude Francis and I can juggle." Jude sat down.

Finally, Maryanne introduced herself. "Hi, I'm Maryanne. My favorite color is green, I like to play dress-up, and I love candy." Maryanne giggled.

Mrs. Landers clapped her hands together and thanked everyone. "Alright, let's all get our name-tags decorated." The teacher handed out small, folded pieces of paper to everyone.

"You can decorate these however you like." She smiled giving each person a box of crayons.

Juliet began drawing circles and patterns on her name-tag. She had a feeling that this was going to be a great year.

* * *

Two months later, Juliet was settled into her school life. She had become good friends with Shawn and Lucy. Juliet rarely got in trouble except for one day.

It was about a month into the school year and Juliet heard Katie talking about her mom to her clique.

"She is so mean. She took away my dessert because I didn't clean my room." Katie said. "I hate her. She is the worst mom ever. I wish I had a new one." Katie continued. "Oh, and one time, she spanked me. I could report her for that." Katie crossed her arms as her clique gasped. Juliet felt her body become invigorated with fury. She stomped over to Katie.

"Really Katie? Your saying that you hate your mom because she spanked you?" Juliet clenched her fists. Katie nodded. "Are you kidding me? You make such a big deal out of that? What if your mom hit your head into a counter and made you bleed? What if your mom killed your dad? What if your mom kidnapped you and smashed beer bottles over your head? What if your mom made you breathe in smoke for an hour?" Juliet yelled louder than she had planned. Katie stared intently. "Your mom has never done that. So, if I were you, I would be careful what you wish for because your life isn't half as bad as some people's." Juliet turned around and sat at her desk, breathing heavily. Mrs. Landers furrowed her brow and told Juliet to go to the principals office. Juliet sighed and walked down the hallway to the office. She walked into the principals office and sat down.

"Hello there." The principal greeted. "What brings you here?" he asked.

Juliet sighed. "I yelled at someone. Why don't you ask my teacher?" Juliet crossed her arms.

The principal dialed Mrs. Landers' extension number and asked her about the incident. He thanked her and hung up. "So, you kinda blew up on her, huh?" he smiled.

Juliet nodded. "She deserved it. She doesn't know what pain is." Juliet mumbled.

The principal nodded. "But you do, don't you?" he asked, almost in a sarcastic way.

"I do. You wouldn't even be able to relate to the amount of pain that I've been through." Juliet played with a button on her pants.

"I see. Well, Juliet, it is inappropriate to yell at a peer for stating an opinion." He scolded.

"It was a dumb opinion coming from a worthless, pampered, bratty mouth." Juliet fumed.

The principal gasped. "I'm going to call your mother and let her know what is going on." He flipped through a binder of phone numbers and dialed Ginger's number. Ginger answered and the principal informed her of the situation. Ginger requested to talk to Juliet.

"Juliet, can you please explain to me what happened?" Ginger asked,

"Katie was talking about how she hated her mom and how she spanked her and stuff and I told her off." Juliet explained shortly.

"What did you say?" Ginger asked.

"I said that she doesn't know pain and hurt or anything and that she is dumb." Juliet explained, nonchalantly.

Ginger sighed on the other line. "Juliet, I know that that is a weak spot for you and I know you were just speaking your mind, but you cannot do that." Ginger explained.

"Okay. I'm sorry." Juliet apologized.

"Alright, I'll see you after school. Bye." The line went dead and Juliet turned to her principal.

"I am sorry for speaking my mind when I shouldn't have." Juliet told.

* * *

Shawn overheard Juliet's argument with Katie and walked over to them, who were now giggling again. "I bet she cries every night at home about her parents." Katie giggled.

Shawn walked over to them. "You guys should stop making fun of Juliet. She wasn't lying about any of that. Her dad abused her very badly and you have no right to make fun of her." Shawn scolded. The girls stared. "You girls are really mean, and Juliet is my friend, so if you say anything mean about her again, I'll have my dad arrest you." Shawn threatened. The girls smiled.

"Shawn likes Juliet!" they cooed. Shawn groaned and sat back down at his desk.

* * *

Juliet walked out to the playground, knowing that her class was at recess. She was immediately bombarded some girls singing, "Shawn likes Juliet!" multiple times.

"What do you mean?" Juliet asked.

"Shawn likes you!" Katie sang.

Juliet furrowed her brow and walked over to a throughly embarrassed Shawn. "I don't really like you like that. I was just telling them to stop being mean." Shawn talked towards the ground.

Juliet shrugged, "It's okay. I didn't believe them anyways." Juliet replied awkwardly.

Shawn nodded and Juliet turned away. She sat on a swing and pumped her legs a few times. Lucy walked over to her and sat down. "Shawn likes you." She giggled, a giant smile across her face.

"No. He was just saying that they were being mean." Juliet retorted.

Lucy giggled, "Ooh, do you like him, too?" she asked. Juliet didn't reply. "I promise I won't tell anyone." Lucy promised.

"I don't really like him. Maybe just a little bit." Juliet smiled a little bit.

Lucy giggled and practically bounced off of her swing.

A few minutes later, Mrs. Landers called everyone inside for dismissal. Juliet walked in, avoiding Shawn for obvious reasons. Juliet grabbed her backpack and walked out of the classroom with Lucy. They waited for their parents to pick them up while they talked.

Ginger arrived at the school and brought Juliet home.

"Ginger, what happens when you like someone?" Juliet asked.

"Well, I guess you eventually become really good friends." Ginger replied, keeping her focus on the road.

"What happens when you like a boy?" Juliet asked.

Ginger took a second to reply, "If they like you back, then you might start dating, but that's not until you are older." Ginger smiled.

Juliet nodded. "How old?" she inquired.

"About fifteen of sixteen." Ginger explained with a chuckle.

* * *

Shawn strode into his house and greeted his dad. "Hi son. How was school?" Henry asked.

"It was okay." Shawn replied nonchalantly. Henry nodded. "Dad?" Shawn asked a few seconds later.

"Yes, son?" he replied.

"What do you do if you like a girl?" Shawn asked.

"Usually, you can ask them if they like you back, and if they do then you might start dating. You might even get married." Henry explained. Shawn nodded thoughtfully. "Why do you ask, Shawn?" Henry asked, a smirk coming to his face.

"I may or may not like a girl." Shawn smiled.

"Well, does she like you?" Henry asked.

Shawn shrugged, "How would I ask her?" he rested his chin in his hands.

"That's the thing, you can't. You just have to figure it out somehow." Henry explained. Shawn sighed and nodded

* * *

_**HI GUYS! SOOOOOO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG TO BE POSTED. I'VE BEEN SO BUSY AND I'VE HAD SOME FAMILY PROBLEMS BUT HERE IT IS!**_

_**I HOPE YOU ENJOY THIS CHAPTER! MY SPRING BREAK IS THIS FRIDAY (3-14-14) SO I WILL ATLEAST HAVE TWO CHAPTERS UP DURING THAT TIME!**_

_**THANKS TO ANYONE WHO HAS REVIEWED SO FAR!**_

_**REVIEW-FAVORITE-FOLLOW!**_

_**YAY FOR PSYCH!**_


	9. Chapter 9: The Party

A party invitation was shoved into Juliet's hands. She looked over at her new best friend, Shawn. He smirked the way he always did. "A birthday party?" Juliet raised her eyebrows.

"Yeah, it's a paint gun party so wear as much padding as possible." He explained.

"Shawn, we're in eighth grade and you're having a birthday party?" Juliet chuckled.

Shawn shrugged, "It doesn't matter how old you are on the outside. It's how old you are on the inside." Shawn pressed a finger to his forehead.

"Shawn, this says 'No Girls Allowed' across the middle." She pointed out.

"Well, they were the only invitations with paint splatters on it. I made a few exceptions." Juliet thought she saw him wink.

"I'll try my best to go." Juliet put the invitation in the front of her binder. Shawn sat back down at his desk, staring intently at his thumbs.

Juliet looked at the invitation, something seemed to pop out at her. "Shawn this is tomorrow." Juliet turned to him. He shrugged, a smile played at his lips. "Your birthday isn't until next week.

"Shh!" Shawn looked around to make sure no one heard her. Juliet blew air out of her nose and smiled. "Just be there, okay?" Shawn said, almost begging her to come. Juliet nodded and glanced at the time. It was 3:35 PM which meant that her school would be let out soon. She set her chin in her hands and watched the clock tick away.

The sound of the bell ringing sent a sense of relief through Juliet as she grabbed her backpack and walked to the door. She walked with Shawn to the parent pick-up area and waited for Shawn's dad to arrive.

Ever since Ginger had started working the night shift at the adoption center, Juliet started carpooling with Henry and Shawn. They lived relatively close to each other, so Juliet ate a quick snack at Henry's house and walked home from there.

Henry's car pulled into the parent pick-up lane and Juliet and Shawn climbed in. "How was school today?" Henry asked. Juliet and Shawn replied with a "Good" and the car went silent. "So, Juliet, are you planning on coming to Shawn's birthday party?" Henry asked.

"I'll have to ask Ginger." Juliet replied. Henry nodded an understanding nod and continued driving.

* * *

The next afternoon, Juliet went home with Shawn as usual, but stayed there for his party. All of his other friends hung out by the pool with Shawn, while Juliet hung out with the only other girl there, her friend, Lucy.

"So, do you think Shawn invited you here so he could," Lucy paused for a second, "uh, ask you out?" Lucy nudged Juliet with her elbow.

"What makes you think that?" Juliet protested.

"Well, the fact that the invite said 'No Girls Allowed'." Lucy explained.

"Then I guess he wants to ask you out too?" Juliet crossed her arms.

"He just didn't want it to be obvious." Lucy retorted.

Juliet smiled and watched as the boys put on padding for the paint gun war that was going to take place. Shawn looked over at Juliet and smiled.

"Wanna join, Jules?" he asked.

"I forgot padding." Juliet explained.

Shawn walked towards Juliet and Lucy. "You can borrow some of mine," Shawn offered, "If you want to." He added.

"I'd rather watch, because I prefer not to be pelted with paint filled balls." Juliet smiled. Shawn nodded and turned away, running back over to his guy friends. They loaded up their guns with paint balls and colorful splatters of paint exploded everywhere.

"Boys." Lucy smiled as she watched the paint war.

* * *

Juliet felt a paint ball splatter on her leg. She gasped as a small amount of pain erupted in her shin. Lucy looked over at the green paint dripping down her pants. She giggled as Shawn ran over to her, laughing uncontrollably. "Are you okay?" he asked, trying to show some concern.

"I'm fine, Shawn." Juliet looked down, trying to hide the fact that her face was gradually getting redder. She bit her lip to channel the burning sensation in her leg.

"It was an accident, I swe-" Shawn began, but was cut off.

"Shawn, really it's no big deal. Go back to your paint gun war." She added in a chuckle. Shawn apologized once more and turned back to the game.

Lucy giggled. "I brought an extra pain of jeans. Want 'em?" she offered.

Juliet nodded and they started towards the house.

After Juliet was changed, they walked back out to see that the paint war had ended and some of the boys were getting picked up by their parents. Juliet pulled out her phone and texted her mom, telling her that the party was almost over. Shawn walked over to them, sweat dripping from his dark hair.

Lucy's mother pulled into the driveway and Lucy turned to leave. She whispered a "Good luck" to Juliet and left, leaving only Shawn and Juliet at the party.

"Uh, I just texted my mom, she'll be here soon. I hope." Juliet explained awkwardly.

Shawn nodded and invited her inside to wait. "How's your leg?" he asked. Juliet pulled up her pant leg to reveal a small welt. Shawn cringed in sympathetic pain. "Honestly, I shot at Gus and he ducked." Shawn explained.

Juliet smiled, "It's really fine. I barely feel anything." Juliet lied, ignoring the throbbing pain in her shin. Her phone vibrated in her pocket. Ginger sent her a text that read, Stuck at work. Can you walk? Sorry! Juliet replied with a 'Yes' and turned to face Shawn.

"I'm gonna walk home because Ginger's still at work." Juliet explained.

Shawn nodded as she turned around and began walking home. "Wait, Jules. Would you like me to walk you home?" he asked. "It's getting kinda dark." He added in.

Juliet felt butterflies erupt in her stomach as she turned back around. "If you want to." She smiled.

Shawn caught up with her and they began walking together. The walk was silent until Shawn reach for her hand and held it. Juliet accepted and turned to look at him. He was a few inches taller than her so she had to look up a bit. "So, did you have fun at the party?" Juliet asked, breaking the extremely awkward silence.

"It was really fun." Shawn replied. Juliet could feel her hands get sweaty. She wiped her hand on her jeans and intertwined her hand with his again. As Juliet's house came into view, Shawn let go of her hand and turned to face her once more. "Thanks for coming." Shawn thanked her.

"No problem. I had fun catching up with Lucy." Juliet smiled. "Thanks for walking me home." She added, giving him a hug.

Shawn accepted the hug and they stared at each other for a few seconds. Adrenaline coursed through Juliet's veins as she wondered if Shawn was going to "Make A Move". They stared at each other for what felt like hours, but was only a few seconds. Shawn blinked and stepped closer to her. Juliet felt his warmth as he took her hand again. He saw the pure fear in Juliet's eyes and looked away.

Juliet felt her heartbeat speed up as Shawn looked back into her eyes. There was a long silence that seemed to make Juliet more fearful of what might happen next. Shawn leaned in closer, puckering his lips slightly. Juliet felt a wave of mixed emotions come over her as she leaned in closer to him. Their lips met for a few seconds until Juliet stepped back. She looked down at the ground then back up at Shawn. A tiny smile spread across her face and she told him good-bye. A thoroughly embarrassed Shawn turned and walked home.

* * *

Juliet burst through the door of her house, not knowing which emotion to feel. She felt like screaming with joy, all while she felt extreme regret. Juliet sat down on her bed and sighed, trying to clear her head. She heard Ginger walk inside and walk towards her room. "I'm home, Jules." She smiled, sitting on the edge of Juliet's bed. "How was the party?" Ginger asked.

"It was fun." Juliet replied, feeling the urge to tell Ginger what had happened. She decided to ignore the urge and let Ginger leave.

Juliet changed into pajamas and turned off her light, letting her thoughts slowly drift her off to sleep.

* * *

It was two in the morning when Juliet got a call for an unfamiliar number. She answered with a weary hello.

"Is this Juliet O'Hara?" a man's voice asked. Juliet was quiet for a second contemplating whether or not she should say yes. The voice was deep, and almost sounded like her dad's voice. Juliet felt a chill run up her spine.

"Y-Yes." Juliet croaked out.

"Jules, it's Ewan!"

* * *

_**YAY CHAPTER 9 IS UP!**_

_**My stomach was all butterfly-y when I wrote this! AAAH I FEEL THE FEELS!**_

_**Only a mention of Gus in this chapter, but he'll be a major character in a few chapters.**_

_**So how'd you guys like it? I am really excited to write the next chapter, there's a major plot twist that only I am expecting (Unless you're psychic like Shawn ;). )**_

_**PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK! I LOVE ALL THE REVIEWS THAT I GET! YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME.**_

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_**YAY FOR PSYCH!**_


	10. Chapter 10: Saving Ewan

Juliet's veins went ice cold. She bolted up from her bed. "Ewan?!" Juliet whispered. "Why are you calling me at two in the morning?"

"He got me Jules." Ewan said, tears choking his voice.

"Who? What are you talking about?" Juliet questioned.

"Dad. He found me while I was walking from school, he drugged me and brought me back to his house." Ewan panted.

"How'd he get out of jail?" Juliet whispered.

"He was released on good behavior." Ewan explained quickly. "I need you to help me escape."

"Ewan call the police!" Juliet yelled louder than she expected. She felt tears come to her eyes as she thought about he big brother being harmed like she had been.

"I can't. He said that if the police come, he'll shoot me. He really doesn't care, Jules." Ewan sobbed.

"Where is he right now?" Juliet asked, opening her bedroom door and rushing to Ginger's room.

"He's at the store buying cigarettes." Ewan explained. "He won't be back for about twenty minutes because he goes to a store that's out of town to get some drugs too." Ewan continued.

"Are you in the same house? What has he done to you?" Juliet listed off her many question.

"I'll explain when you get here." Ewan retorted.

"Ewan, what if you're dead when I get there?" Juliet stopped in her tracks. "I'm gonna try my best to get there, okay? But, don't do anything to anger him. He's got tons of things that he can do to you. Do you understand me?" Juliet's tone was serious. Ewan replied with a 'yes'. "I'm gonna ask my mom." Juliet ran to Ginger's room and shook her awake.

"Ginger, my dad got Ewan, my brother!" Juliet sobbed. Ginger sat up slowly, she blinked a few times and her eyes widened as she realized what Juliet said.

"Call the police." Ginger panicked.

"I can't. Frank will shoot him if I do. We've gotta get Ewan." Juliet sniffled.

"Jules, I can't afford to buy us both a ticket to fly to Miami." Ginger replied, sorrow coating her voice.

"Then fly me down. I'll pay you back, I promise. I need to save my brother." Juliet commanded.

"Juliet, I'm not risking you getting kidnapped again." Ginger bit her lip.

"Ginger, I need to do this. Frank will not hurt him like he hurt me!" Juliet wiped her face. "I need a ticket now. I will pay you back, I promise." Juliet repeated.

Ginger sighed, grabbed her laptop, and looked up tickets from Santa Barbara to Miami. "Juliet it's gonna be eight hundred dollars for a round-trip flight tonight or tomorrow." She explained.

"I'll pay you back with interest." Juliet begged. "I'll use the money that I have now to pay for food and hotels." Juliet continued, knowing that she had at least two hundred dollars in change. "I'll stay with my grandma." Juliet added.

Ginger sighed. "You will stay with your grandma the entire time. You will not be anywhere close to that house. Do you understand me completely?" Ginger set the ground rules. Juliet nodded vigorously. She told Ewan the news as Ginger ordered her ticket.

"Thank you so much." Juliet almost fell to her knees.

"The flight is in two hours." Ginger informed, watching Juliet rush to her room to pack for her spontaneous trip. She relayed the information to Ewan as she stuffed her suitcase with clothes for a week.

"Ewan, please, please be careful. I'm going to be there soon. I love you." Juliet sniffled.

"Love you too." Ewan replied before the line went dead.

* * *

An hour later, Juliet was on her way to the airport with Ginger. She went through security and turned to Ginger. "I will be safe." Juliet promised, seeing the worry in her eyes.

Ginger hugged Juliet, trying to keep her tears from pouring out onto Juliet's shoulder. "Stay with your Grandma." Ginger commanded sternly. Juliet nodded and hugged her mother one last time before walking onto her plane.

It was completely dark outside and Juliet felt a small sense of independence as she sat down in her seat at the front of the plane. She lay her head on the window and tried to clear her mind of everything that was going on. She imagined saving an unharmed Ewan and driving him back to his house while they talked about their lives. Juliet was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't even realize that she was slowly falling asleep.

* * *

Juliet woke up a few hours later and checked the time. Her flight was due to land at 12:30. She looked out the window and watched the clouds pass her by.

Once the flight landed, Juliet grabbed her luggage and walked off of the plane and into security again. She waited for her luggage to be scanned and then walked through the airport, feeling completely lost. Her eyes wandered around and fixed on a familiar face.

"Grandma!" Juliet called, causing her grandmother to smile. Juliet hugged her grandma and began explaining to her what was going on.

"I already know. Your adoptive mother called me and told me everything." Grandma explained. Juliet nodded, walking out of the airport and into her grandma's car.

They drove back to Grandma's house and her grandmother offered her some food. Juliet gladly excepted and plopped down on her couch. She couldn't shake the constant eerie feeling running throughout her body.

"So, Jules, how has life been?" Grandma asked in almost a joking manner.

"Well, after I ran away, a police man named Henry found me and brought me to an adoption center, where I met Ginger." Juliet explained nonchalantly.

"I'm just so happy to see you." Grandma smiled, kissing Juliet's forehead.

Juliet smiled and nodded, looking around her Grandma's house. It hadn't seemed to change at all except for one thing. "Where's Grandpa?" Juliet inquired.

Grandma's face softened, "He had a stroke and fell into a coma. He stayed like that for a year until I decided it was time to pull the plug." Tears formed at the corner of her eyes, but never fell.

"I'm sorry." Juliet apologized, feeling like she should have been sadder. "Grandma, is it okay if we get Ewan now?" Juliet asked. "I'm really scared for him." She added in.

Grandma bit her lip and looked at the time. "I guess we need to act ASAP." Grandma replied, grabbing her purse. They walked out to her car and began driving to her old house.

Once they were a few blocks away, Juliet hopped out of the car and began toward the house on foot. She ducked in some bushes and checked if Frank was home yet. His car was parked in the driveway, sending anxiety through her body. She tried not to think about what could be going on in there. Grandma was close behind her looking at the house with concern. "When he got me, he always left at around one in the afternoon to go to somewhere so we have about, twenty minutes." Juliet whispered. Grandma nodded and they walked back to the car.

After about twenty minutes, they checked to see if Frank had left. As they looked past the shrubbery in their faces, they saw Frank getting into his car. Relief rushed through Juliet as he drove off to wherever he was headed. They waited a few seconds before rushing over to the house. Juliet brought up a shaky hand and knocked on the door. "Open up, it's Juliet." She yelled. A loud crash sounded from inside the house, worrying Juliet even more.

"Ewan, open up!" Juliet screamed. The doorknob twisted and the door swung open to reveal a bruised, burned Ewan staring off into space. "Ewan!" Juliet cried, embracing him with a hug. "Oh my goodness, are you alright?" Juliet hadn't let go of him yet.

"Jules, we need to go now. He's gonna be back in a few minutes." Ewan explained frantically.

"Right." Juliet turned and ran only to see Ewan walking slowly with his hands out in front if him. "Ewan, come on!" Juliet screamed.

"I can't see." He explained. "Take my hand and lead me." He yelled. Juliet nodded and grabbed his hand, pulling him to their car. They got inside and Grandma sped out of the neighborhood.

"Ewan, why can't you see? How'd did you call me if you can't see?" Juliet blurted out questions.

"A few hours ago, he put a drop of acid in each of my eyes because I punched him in his goodies." Ewan smiled, as if he were proud of himself.

"Ewan, oh my God. Are you okay?" Juliet let tears pour down her face.

"My eyes just burn." He replied with a smile. His voice had gotten so much deeper since Juliet had last talked to him.

"How'd you get this?" Juliet asked, pointing to an oozing blister on his right cheek.

"Cigarette." He replied. "Really, I don't want to talk about this right now." He turned his head to the ground. Juliet tilted her head, but soon realized that she was the exact same way after she was kidnapped.

* * *

Grandma drove Ewan to a hospital and called the police to report Frank. Ewan was checked into the hospital and was immediately injected with fluids. Juliet waited outside of his room while he was evaluated. Juliet felt the weight of guilt pull at her heart. She wished she would've arrived sooner, Maybe he would be able to see. Juliet thought. The minutes dragged by as if they were years. She wanted to check on Ewan, but knew he needed to be alone.

As Juliet felt tears form in her eyes, the door opened, surging relief through Juliet. "Juliet, you can go see him now." The nurse smiled. Juliet nearly sprinted into the room.

"Ewan?" Juliet smiled, in her gentlest voice.

"Who is it?" Ewan asked.

"It's Juliet." She replied, grabbing Ewan's hand. "Are you alright? Do you need anything?" She reminded herself of Ginger.

"I'm okay." Ewan's useless eyes were red from crying. His voice cracked from tears.

"Ewan, I need to tell you something." Juliet sighed. "After I was kidnapped, I kept everything inside, I didn't talk about it, I tried to forget everything. But eventually, I figured out that talking to Ginger, my adoptive mother, really helped." Juliet explained. "All I'm saying is that you can tell me anything. I'm honestly the only person that would understand." She continued.

Ewan nodded. He sighed and turned over, being careful not to lay on the multiple IV's in his arm. "Can I start from the beginning?" Ewan asked. Juliet nodded, only to remember that Ewan couldn't see.

"Of course." Juliet smiled.

"I never went with the social worker." Ewan began. "I left to follow you but I couldn't find you. I think I went the wrong way." Ewan smiled. "A few days later, I was still outside and I had no food or money, and I started calling to cars and telling them to call the police. Eventually, I was picked up by an officer in Hollywood, Florida. They brought me to an adoption center in Hollywood." Ewan blinked a few times.

"Wait, so, you weren't at my adoption center?" Juliet asked, confused.

"No." He replied. Juliet tilted her head, but shrugged it away. "After that I was adopted by a woman and her husband. They were really nice, but they turned abusive and eventually, I was brought back to the same orphanage." Ewan told. "I've been there ever since. On my way back from school, Frank walked up behind me drugged me with something and threw me into his car." Ewan sniffled.

"Okay, so what happened at his house?" Juliet tried not to push him.

"He told me to call him 'Dad' and he called me Juliet. I was all really weird. He was replacing you with me." Ewan replied. "He threw things at me, he made me take drugs until I would pass out, he poured bleach on me once." Ewan continued. Juliet covered her mouth.

"I am so sorry, Ewan." Juliet sobbed into her hand.

"He tried to make me eat moldy bread, but I socked him where it counts and he ruined my eyesight." Ewan smiled weakly.

"I am so sorry." Juliet apologized. "This is all my fault. He should've gotten me." Juliet hugged Ewan, letting him sob into her shoulder. "You'll get through this. Trust me. It gets better." Juliet assured him.

* * *

A few days later, Ewan was allowed to walked around out of his room and Juliet assisted him over to the cafeteria, where they sat and ate their lunches. "Your chicken in at six o'clock." Juliet explained, helping to move his hands towards it.

"Thanks." He sighed, shoving an over-sized piece of chicken in his mouth.

"So, do you have any romantic interests?" Juliet asked, adding in a giggle.

"I was with a girl named Lily, for a few weeks but she was stupid." Ewan laughed. "Do you?" he asked back.

"Actually, the night you called me, I kissed a boy named Shawn." Juliet giggled, watching Ewan's face light up.

"Ooh, sounds cool." He smiled. "So, uh, this is going to sound odd, but could you describe yourself to me?" he asked, blood rushing to his face.

Juliet tilted her head for a second but agree to try to explain her appearance. She looked at the back of her spoon as a mirror. "Well, I have blonde hair, still. It's wavy and it just comes past my ears. I have mom's nose, of course and I look exactly like her." Juliet tried her best to explain herself.

Ewan nodded. "How tall are you? I can't imagine you being taller than you were when you were six." He chuckled.

"I'm about five feet three inches." Juliet replied. Ewan nodded again. "My god, you haven't changed at all though." Juliet smiled, moving his hand over to the part of his plate with mashed potatoes on it.

"Thanks." Ewan thanked her again.

"I'm really glad to see you again." Juliet admitted, giving his hand a slight squeeze. "You should move closer to us. Come live in Santa Barbara." Juliet suggested seriously.

Ewan shrugged. "I don't know. Would I be able to do that?" Ewan asked.

"Probably." Juliet replied.

Both of the were silent. "I'm smiling right now." Juliet told him.

"Why are you doing that?" Ewan asked.

"I am just so happy that you're back." Juliet gave him a short hug and a kiss on his forehead.

* * *

**_Don'e fret! EWAN IS OKAY!_**

**_I reaaaalllly hope you guys enjoyed thus chapter update, Sorry it took me so long but I promise, the content of my next chapter will make up for that! :)_**

**_Lots of shules? Maybbbbeeeeee._**

**_Okay, so even though Psych is over *tear* I will still continue to write my stories. Thank you for reading._**

**_REVIEW-FOLLOW-FAVORITE!_**

**_SUUUUUUUCCCCKKKKK IIIIIIITTTTTT!_**


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